Photo Tip #2: Think in Three Dimensions

Another way to compose an eye-pleasing photograph is to include these three elements: foreground, mid-ground, and background. I call this thinking in three dimensions or creating a photograph of three distinct layers of depth.

The mid-ground is usually your primary subject. In the first example photograph, the waterfall on Wolf Creek is the mid-ground subject. To be sure, Wolf Creek Falls is a picturesque sight on its own. But to take a more striking photograph of the falls, I composed a visual path that grabs the eye’s attention and leads it into the image and to the subject. In other words, foreground is the “grabber” that catches the eye and gets it moving into your image. In the example photograph, the small reflecting pool in the rock is the foreground–the portal that leads the eye into the image. 

Wolf Creek Falls

After settling on the foreground, the eye will naturally move upward and deeper into the image and settle on the primary subject, the waterfall, which is the mid-ground. To keep the eye moving deeper into the image, I selected an interesting background, which in this case is a stand of trees, some highlighted by the sun.

In the second example, my foreground is a row of goldenrod. I had to lie on the ground to get the foreground in the frame, but it was worth the trouble. The mid-ground subject is a hillside on the Highland Scenic Highway glowing in autumn color. A blue sky with white puffy clouds forms the background.

Highland Scenic Highway in Autumn

In the third example, a waterfall on Fall Branch, I waited until light shone on some plants sitting on a rock in the foreground. The eye is naturally drawn to the lighted plants. The eye then moves to the mid-ground subject, which is the waterfall. Finally, as in example #1, a lush green stand of trees highlighted by the sun forms the background.

Waterfall on Fall Branch

It doesn’t take an expensive camera to compose your photographs on three levels or depths; yet, doing so can transform your “snapshots” into more eye appealing photography. In fact, just adding foreground will give your images a more polished look.