When we first start out in photography, be it with a smartphone or a full size camera, we tend to capture exactly what is in front of our eyes. We are, by default, taking pictures 5 to 6ft above the ground, straight on with a subject more than a few meters away.
Modern cameras tend to flatter us with their amazing technical capabilities, great colour, spot on exposure and tack sharp focus. We see those first images and we are wowed by them.
If you have been doing photography for a few months or years, I urge you to go back and take a look at them. There is one thing that may well stand out above all others. They look flat, very two dimensional.
Now, I can hear a few people screaming at me right now, “of course they are flat, they are photos”. But they are missing the point.
Whilst every photo will always be two dimensional, that doesn't exclude us from purveying a sense of depth in them. In fact, adding depth to your images will make you a better photographer and your photos more engaging.
But how do we do that? We do it by training our eyes to see the layers around us. Let me explain.
What Are Layers?
Every scene we photograph is three dimensional. Even if we are photographing a painting in an art gallery, it will have three dimensions. The thickness of the paper and the frame gives us that third dimension.
Good photos will consist of three main layers, the foreground, midground and background. Each will be distinct from the other, separated by a camera technique or compositional element. Going back to our early photographs we will see that we do indeed have those three layers. However, what we have not done is separate them sufficiently.
By isolating those layers we not only add depth to our image but we also create visual storytelling. We are leading the eye of the viewer through the image, to the subject. That subject doesn’t have to be in the background, it can equally be in the midground or foreground. However, by using visual separation, we create depth and draw the eye to the subject.
In the above image, the subject is in the midground. The shallow depth of field has separated the background of the street and the foreground, the rails. Our eye is naturally drawn to the subject, the image tells a story and it also has depth.
How Do We Learn To See Layers
It’s actually not that difficult and there is a pretty good chance you are already doing it. If you have ever shot a photo with leading lines, you have isolated at least the foreground and background, and if there is a subject on the leading lines, a midground too.
When preparing to photograph a scene, make a conscious decision to look for the layers. In the example below, the foreground is the nearest building to the bottom right. The roofline of this creates a leading line into the midground, the two bridges and associated buildings. The background is the modern concert hall. Despite a deep depth of field all three layers are clearly defined. The light trains of the morning traffic serve as a connection between the layers.
Depth of field is a powerful tool in isolating layers. A wide aperture allows us to bring the eye to one single layer, whilst a deep depth of field, such as the bridges example above, can show multiple distinct layers.
In the image below, the shallow depth of field brings our eye purely to the foreground layer. However, the composition clearly shows a midground – the sea and a background, the rising sun. The image has a distinct three dimensional feel whilst only concentrating on a single layer.
Next time you are out shooting, before you even raise the camera, look for the layers. They could be rocks in the foreground, a treeline in the background, perhaps people in the midground. Start to train your eye to look for those separations and you will soon see that every scene that you shoot has layers.
Up until now we have been concentrating on physical layers, however they don’t have to be.
Layers Do Not Have To Be Physical
Light and shade are the fundamentals of photography. They are also fantastic tools for adding depth and layers to our images. Look at the image below. Whilst the lighthouse is the obvious background and a physical element, the foreground and midground are much more about two things. The light and shade on the grass and the motion of the grass in the wind. Both draw the eye through the image to the distant lighthouse.
The best images will have multiple layers that use both the physical and the conceptual combining together to lead the eye through the image as well as tell a story. This is illustrated in the image below.
The physical elements are the walls and cannons. The cannons are the foreground, the walls, the midground. The light and shade works as a leading line to the frame but also as a way of providing definition between the midground and foreground. The frame itself reveals the background. The combination of these gives the image a very three dimensional feel.
In this last image below, we also have very defined layers created both physically and by light and shade.
The monument to the right is in complete shade but clearly defined as a foreground. The hole through the monument leads our eye to the background which is the lighthouse. However, the walking figure to the left of the shot draws our eye to the midground and helps hold the whole image together.
As mentioned earlier, layers are everywhere. Every scene we shoot has layers. Our task is to define them and isolate them. This can be through depth of field, light and shade or through composition such as leading lines. When we do, our images become so much more three dimensional and in turn, more interesting and engaging.
Further Reading
- Photographic Composition: The Devil Is In The Details
- Composition Simplified: Improve The Creativity Of Your Images
- How To Use Sharpness As A Compositional Element In Photography
- S Curve Photography: Focus On Improving The Composition
- 5 Typical Composition Mistakes That Crush The Effectiveness of Your Images
