Rongnongno Loc: FL

Ok, fine. Never-mind. I am not confusing about anything at all.

Just go ask your optician the next time you see one, maybe you will believe the guy/gal.

Vanishing line = STRAIGHT focusing line. Focusing point is on it and so is the vanishing point.

Perspective lines and their so-called vanishing point are related to the vanishing line geometrically but are not the same thing at all nor do they have the same use.

The notion of three dimensional curved space used in photography (and flattened to two dimensions by it) fly way over your head so be it.

I am letting it go.

The rest? Who cares.

As usual I am disappointed.

I should know better. My fault.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

One more try thought, I cannot believe no one understand.

If you stand between railroad tracks, how many lines are there?

If you tell me two you are wrong.

There are three. The two lanes created by the rail AND the one created by you looking far away.

The point you focus on in this instance is BOTH the focus point and the vanishing point.

Now stand on one rail and do the same thing. The vanishing point has not moved, why? Because you did and kept the same focus, you simply changes YOUR angle of vision..

Go to the other side, the vanishing point still has not. Why? Same as above.

The only constant is your point of view, the line you create while focusing and looking where the rails apparently meet, the vanishing point.

In the mean time what was around you was seen under three different perspectives. Why? Because the true vanishing point did not move. This is also why the perspectives vanishing point is NOT similar the single unique point created by your focusing onto infinity. These move from one side to the other FASTER that the true vanishing point. Once again, trigonometry and geometry is involved.

If you do not get that, I have no idea what will help you out.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Your line of sight has nothing to do with the vanishing point.

Suppose you aim your camera down a long, straight tunnel. If you center the end of the tunnel in your viewfinder then the lens axis is parallel to the rails. The vanishing point is in the center of the picture.

Now turn the camera a couple of degrees to the right. The vanishing point moves to the left in the image but the lens axis is no longer parallel to the rails. Some spot on the side of the tunnel (that you are calling the focus point) is now in the center of the image.

Unless you have a perspective control lens or a view camera, the lens axis is always pointing from the center of the sensor to something that will get recorded in the center of the image. That is not the vanishing point - it is just the center of the image.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

This is even worse than I ever thought... Our line of vision has nothing to do with the creation of vanishing points???

Oh boy.

I need to curse my teachers for having taken the time to teach me to read because reading this???

Man...

cesarakg Loc: Candelaria - Brazil

One last thought: when you put your vanishing point in the dead center of the image, it steals the attention of the viewer.

Using the vanishing point on a side, like the pictures I posted, the lines that defines the vanishing point became guiding lines, and you can have another feature as the subject on the photo, like the car. Then the vanishing point became a support role in your photo, or a subject not so strong.

It's a classical composition guideline, AFAIK.

http://chestofbooks.com/home-improvement/woodworking/Handicraft-For-Boys/images/The-Vanishing-Point-131.png

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

(from your original post) How do you "use the vanishing point as a base to explain what creative vision is"?

I have reread all of your posts as well as the others on this thread and it is apparent that when you use the term "vanishing point" you are referring to something other than what everyone else understands to be vanishing point.


The article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_point also illustrates the use of two vanishing points and mentions curvilinear perspective with either 4 or 5 vanishing points.

In one of your responses you even acknowledged that the car pictures illustrated vanishing points that were off center.

So, if you are talking about something else, maybe you should give us a clearer description or at least call it something other than vanishing point. Otherwise we will have to conclude that everyone is out of step but you.

pkricker Loc: Woodstock, NY, USA

Nice "quick & dirty snapshot", by the way.

2 Dog Don Loc: Virginia Beach VA

Thanks for not giving up! Keeping hogs on subject is a bit like hearding cats. I have read a lot about leading lines, etc. but the description of vanishing point above is the clearest yet. Thanks

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

It used by visual artists to show perspective. It helps show the illusion of 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional plane. I don't understand what this has to do with photography.

MjTahoe Loc: Napa Valley / Lake Tahoe / California Sierra

Let's make it simple... Vanishing Point in Art... Looking down a long and winding or undulating road to a horizon, mountains, sea, forest, etc.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

OK. Stick with the train tracks.

Now focus on a point half way between you and the vanishing point. Or better yet 2/3 of the way. Now the vaishing point and the focus point are different. What do you now have? Dynamic tension.

If you place an object (say a small child) at that 2/3rds point that stands so that a line drawn between your eye through the child's head hits the vanishing point, what happened to the tension? How about the head below that line keeping the focus on the head? Above it? to the left or right? Each arrangement provides a different level of tension.

Move the child to 1/2 the distance and 1/3 the distance and repeat the above arrangement of the geometric and focus lines. Now realign the points in each experiment with the nine standard focus points in your view finder. Each has a stronger or softer dynamic.

We could also go in to why a focus or vanishing point to the right side or left side are different, but that is cultural (and seems to be related to reading from the left to right, right to left, and up or down)

Dlevon Loc: New Jersey

One of the things that vanishing points do, in drawings and/or photos is give you a three-dimensional view. It's natural to how we see things. When rendering an architectural subject, I always try to show a view in which the building sides go to vanishing point, otherwise it's a plain elevation with no 3 dimensional aspect to the project. Stand in front of a building, and try to look at it so that you don't see the sides of the building. Looks quite blah! Then move a little so you see a side. Actually the side view goes to a far off vanishing point. That's how we humans see things so it seems more natural. I've either cleared things up , or muddied the waters!

kaybee Loc: Peterborough UK

if you were to draw a pair of parallel lines on a globe(Earth) they would meet at the poles, assuming they originally were aligned north/south.
Is this where parallel line meet?
Parallel lines in space is (are) a different matter, it depends whether space is curved or distorted in some way.
Love the thoughts.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

This is fun to read about. Discussion of this subject will ultimately reach a vanishing point, but probably not infinity because none of us will live that long, or anyone else for that matter.

Dlevon Loc: New Jersey

I plan to! I'm ageless! Why should we be limited by considering age, by the earth going around the sun once, and calling it a year? What does that have to do with anything? If we didn't have mirrors where we could see ourselves, we would never age. It's a state of mind!