Improving
your Foregrounds
by Russ Barker
Username
LeCCy
Nikonian in the UK
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Foregrounds
– More Bang for Your Buck!
One
of the most effective techniques for adding that “WOW!”
factor to your landscape photographs is to include an interesting
foreground which complements your composition and helps the viewer
to see what your subject is. If you plan and design your photograph
carefully, the foreground can lead the viewer’s eye from
the foreground, through the image, ending at the subject.
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If
you look around at the images that you admire by world-renowned
photographers you will see this technique employed time and time
again. Barely an issue of “Outdoor
Photographer” or “Outdoor
Photography” magazines will be published without images
that use the foreground as an important part of the composition.
To see the technique from its early days it would be worthwhile
studying the work of David
Muench. Whilst we know that all things are subjective- and
right and wrong is a tricky thing to define in the art of photography-
there are some things that we can all try to bear in mind before
we press the shutter that may help us show the viewer why a scene
captured our attention in the first instance and to show the subject
to its best advantage.
Of
course, these pointers should never be used as rules – even
the most ardent proponents of compositional techniques such as
the widely accepted (….and somewhat misnamed) rule of thirds
would agree that this is a guideline rather than a rule and in
photography, as in life, the oft quoted ‘rules are there
to be broken (or at least bent)’ applies.
However,
even within the loose parameters of artistic vision, there are
fundamentals we can all think about at the moment of “The
Click” that will help bring life into our images.
Leading lines
Perhaps
the most often discussed are ‘leading lines’ and whilst
this can apply to composition in general it is doubly important
for effective foregrounds. In its most basic form what we are
thinking about here is trying to create a visual flow through
your composition that will take the viewer from one area of the
image to another. Ideally we strive for this journey to be a smooth
and pleasant one, rather than jerky and disconnected.
In
Figure 1 at right it seems clear to the viewer that the
subject is the mountain in the top of the frame: - the singular
direction of the frosted reeds in the foreground lead the
viewer’s eye from the bottom of the frame to the mountains
in the top of the frame. Here the frosted reeds lead the
eye along to the conclusion of the image – the day’s
last light hitting the tops of the mountains.
Straight
lines and geometric patterns such as these can be found
all over nature (if you are actively looking for them!)
and will always provide assistance in trying to frame your
shot. Be patient and look for foregrounds that complement
the image and effectively lead the eye to the main subject.
In Figure 1 the impact of the frosted reeds would have been
much less if they were piled in a jumble. The direction
of the reeds, coupled with the light frost, is what makes
them an effective part of the composition. |
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Once again nature geometrics are giving our viewer a
helping hand here. The ridges in the foreground of Figure
2 at right are leading towards what is our final vision
for the image – that wonderful sunrise over the
cliff tops.
Now I can already hear you saying ‘but wait
a minute, that’s simple if the rocks form those
lines!’
Well, here’s the deal – I guarantee that
if you look hard enough you will find ‘something’
in your view that will be able to act as leading lines.
The devil is in the detail and being able to separate
everything else from the composition and taking the time
to find those lines.
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