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Four Ways to Engage and Create Spectacular Landscape Photography

Feb 10, 2005

To make landscape photography more interesting, adding depth is important. Although this sounds tricky, there are some easy tips that help create depth within photos so that viewers enjoy feelings of realism. Onlookers will experience a true sense of the pictures and feel as though they were the ones capturing the shots.


Wider is Better

A wide-angle lens is a photographer’s best friend. It helps accentuate the foreground so that your picture has more depth and transports the viewer into the photo. Since it creates a dramatic perspective, a good quality wide-angle lens is a must-have for anyone practicing landscape photography.


Stand Tall

To exaggerate the foreground, it is common for a wide-angle picture to be shot from a low perspective. However, this stance minimizes the midground and results in a picture that fails to bridge the impressive foreground and striking background. Standing tall achieves the height necessary to stretch the midground and bring a connection that emphasizes the depth of the scene. It is a smart way to draw a viewer into a photo.


Elongate the Scene

Another way to add depth to a picture is with a telephoto lens. Although it is usually used to bring flatness to a scene or isolate a subject, it is a great tool that produces a natural frame. With a juxtaposed subject, a viewer will gain the feeling of looking beyond the foreground and will be able to concentrate on the background scene.


Use Layering Techniques

In nature, objects grow less distinct in the distance. Thanks to this optical phenomenon, it is important to establish a composition that emphasizes layers and patterns within a picture. For example, capturing a mountain scene with different ranges creates a layering effect with nice depth. The same outcome can be achieved at the beach with the ocean and distant shorelines. Controlling this type of overlap increases depth in an image.


Another way to intensify this effect is by uncovering a scene with plenty of atmosphere that makes the background seem to fade into the distance. Fog, smoke, and misty drizzle are excellent natural elements that help this work.


Pictures that have a good sense of depth are powerful and dynamic. The above tips will help a photographer turn a two-dimensional photo into a realistic scene that appears as amazing as it looks in person. Providing depth helps pictures come alive and brings great interest to all viewers.