THURROCK Nub News is delighted to feature the three winning entries in the latest competition by Thurrock Camera Club.

It was an open theme event so the images presented were quite varied and the winners were Frederick Roll's 'A word in your ear', David Whyman's 'Reflections of the South Bank' and Chris Dennis's 'Coming Through The Vortex'.

Meanwhile, we continue our monthly tips from the club to help you improve your own photography.

Leading Lines - A Composition tip

A Leading Line in a photograph is a line that usually begins at the bottom of the composition and extends into the heart of the picture, drawing the viewer's eye into the scene.

Almost every photograph will contain lines in some form, so before taking your shot try to see if you can spot them within the scene you are trying to capture.

The ' leading lines' contained within an image can take different directions and they can be slightly horizontal or vertical and can also be individual or repeated throughout the image.

Whatever direction they take, these lines within an image can be a great way to naturally point towards an interesting part of your photo that you might wish to highlight to the viewer or to emphasise the shape of something in your picture.

One common approach is to lead the viewer's eye through the frame along a diagonal. These can go from left to right or right to left, although people naturally view things from left to right, so lines using this direction can sometimes be the most effective.

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In the attached examples the photographers have used some elements within the image to lead the viewers eye into the scene or used dominant lines to create an overall effect.

In the image entitled Lighthouse, the curving road starting at the left edge of the frame leads the viewer's attention into the image towards the main subject of the lighthouse.

In the image, Stepping Stones, the photographer has used the stones to lead the viewer's eye from right to left to draw the viewer towards the people crossing the water. He has also captured a complimentary lines from the bridge in the background as a supporting element to his composition.

In the final image, Little Boxes, the photographer has utilised the strong lines created by the buildings to produce an overall composition that captures and portrays the angular structure of the buildings.

Hopefully these examples will encourage everyone to look for similar lines in their own photographs

You can find out more about Thurrock Camera Club, which is now celebrating its centenary year, via this link.