Joe Standart

Joe’s Tip: Depth can be expressed as 3D depth which gives you a feeling of deep space or 2D depth which keeps everything on the surface and gives you a feeling of flatness.

Expressing Deep Depth

When you walk in the woods on a path, you are traveling on a visual line that draws you into another world. There is the joy in the beauty around you, the comfort of being surrounded by space, but also the wonder of what is in the distance. A feeling of 3D depth can add mystery and drama to your photos. Use that feeling to draw viewers into your photo and have them stay a while to share in your vision. Find landscape scenes that give a feeling of depth to tell a story or express a mood.

How do you create that feeling of entering a three-dimensional space on the 2D plane of a photo? Experiment with using these compositional elements to enhance that sense of depth. Try the same scene at different times of the day or season.

1. Include a foreground element, a middle ground, and a background. Use overlapping shapes and contrast in size.
2. Line–Look for lines in your view. They can lead you into, around, and out of the photo. Use lines to draw your viewer in. Take him/her for a walk on a path or a trip on a stream. Use shadows as lines to direct the eye.
3. Color-Bright colors come forward; dull colors recede. Warm colors come forward; cool colors recede.
4. Light and shadow–Shadows give a sense of depth to objects and can create direction lines.

Don’t forget what you learned about the use of light as an element in your photographs in the first challenge. Go back and look at Joe’s tips about light. Observe your favorite places as the seasons change from early spring to summer. Experiment. Have fun with your camera. Try out the different compositional elements to create depth and share your results with us.

See the announcement of Photos of Distinction for Fall/Winter 2020-2021”.

 

Watch this video, which is part of our Imagining Lyme photo exploration series, to get tips on taking photos while considering light and its shadows.

Watch this video, which is part of our Imagining Lyme photo exploration series, to get tips on taking photos while considering light as it relates to the time of day.

Imagine for a moment your favorite place. Picture that place in your mind and identify the time of day, from which direction the light is coming, and your emotional connection. Is it a happy, energetic picture, or a mellow, relaxed and contemplative scene, or something completely different? Is there a sunset, or fog, or rain, or bright sun? Ask yourself what are the elements that get you excited. Photographers often talk about “Magic Hour,” Those few moments before sun set or during and just after sun rise. Everything seems to have more depth, the colors are more vivid, and there is an emotional connection.

So, what is your magic hour? While it is given that you will be in one of our amazing nature preserves taking a photo of something in nature, strive to incorporate the elements of your favorite place. Think of “light” as your subject as much as the objects in front of you. Take your picture, and then ask yourself how you can make it better – more texture, a more graphic design, what if you back lit the subject by coming at a different time of day to get more definition in the water, or deeper shadows in the trees. Often, I will be attracted to a subject and watch it over hours, days, or even seasons. I will return for a brilliant sunset or during a rainstorm. I gain a sense of intimacy with a place as I observe change over time. That might look better if I…. So have fun. Experiment with your camera. Make light be one of your compositional tools. “Paint with light” and share your results with us.