As part of the exercises about diagonals, I have looked at the photographs in the course text book, 'The Photograph' by Graham Clarke. There are many examples which show diagonals in various ways. Here are the pictures I found.
Photo 1. View from a Window as Gras, 1826 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.The shadow of a wall causes a partial diagonal.
Photo 13. The Open Door, 1843 by William Henry Fox Talbot. Partial diagonal by broom standing against the door frame.
Photo 19. Garden Implements, 1847? by Calvert Richard Jones. Diagonal caused by step ladder amongst collection of items.
Photo 22. Gathering Water Lilies, 1886 by Peter Henry Emerson. Diagonal caused by the location of the row boat.
Photo 27. Grand Canyon of the Colorado, 1883 by William Henry Jackson. Dark rock face diagonal in frame.
Photo 30. Dunes, Oceano, 1936 by Edward Weston. The sand dune creates a shallow diagonal.
Photo 52. Untitled, 1942 by Helen Levitt. Diagonal layout of stair bannister extended through the position of the three children.
Photo 67. The Chiffonier, 1904 by Clarence White.The way the woman is sitting creates a diagonal across the frame.
Photo 73. Bernard Berenson at the Borghese Gallery, Rome, 1955. The posture of the statue forms a diagonal.
Photo 89. Accidental Napalm Attack, 1972 by Hung Cong ('Nick') Ut. The children form a diagonal across the frame.
Photo 95. The Steerage, 1907 by Alfred Stieglitz. The gang plank of the boat leis diagonally across the frame.
Photo 99. Wall Street, New York, 1915 by Paul Strand. .Strong diagonal formed by the edge of the building and implied by the walking people.
Photo 101. Pool in Brook, 1953 by Elliot Porter. Diagonal created by the current of the stream and streak of light across the water.
Photo 104. Untitled, 1979 by Zeke Berman. Interesting diagonal created across the wooden block and the implied cube.
Photo 110. Jealousy, 1928 by Lászláó Maholy-Nagy. Diagonal formed across the frame by small and large rectangles.
Photo 112. Glass Tears (Larmes), 1930 by Man Ray. Strong diagonal caused by close up of eyes running corner to corner.
Photo 127. Rhodesian Refugees in a Camp, Zambia, 1978. The arms of the refugees create a diagonal across the page.
A surprising number of images have diagonals to lesser or greater extent. This may be an indication as to the importance of diagonals in photographic work.
