Add Interest to your images with the Foreground
ByTwelve Elements of Composition
Tips for Remarkable Photographs
Part 5-Using the foreground
A strong and interesting image can be achieved by including a lot of foreground leading to the subject. For an environmental portrait use enough depth of field so your image is sharp front to back to tell the story.
This is not a riveting example but it is a good example of recomposing the image to include foreground interest. I wanted to show my family the cedar posts that my husband used for our front porch. Photographing just the posts up close was kind of boring. So I backed up to include some more of the hard work my husband has done in our driveway. The rock has now created an interesting foreground that leads to the cedar posts.
A picture of a bench alone would not be so interesting but with the grass foreground adding depth, space, and texture the subject matter is strengthened.
Notice the bench is placed at the intersection of thirds.
About Barb
Barb Gordon, of www.BarbGordonPhotoCoach.com, is a Master Photographer, Photographic Craftsman, and Certified Professional Photographer with the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) to which she has belonged since 1984. She is a nationally published and award winning photographer, entrepreneur, speaker, and author including being published in the prestigious PPA Loan Collection 2006, PPA Showcase 2003, twice named Iowa’s Top Ten Photographer of the Year, and 2010 Iowa’s Master Photographer of the Year.
