Boat anchor as an anchor

Sunset over Morton Bay

When you shoot landscapes do you search for the ultimate foreground object, and try establish how you can build them into a scene ? Sometimes I think I get obsessed about foreground objects. So I make a valiant attempt to move away from focusing on them. Then I end up being unsatisfied to see the picture and wonder “Wheres the foreground interest ?” 🙂

To me adding different layers into the image gives what is a 2 dimensional image a third dimension, depth. This depth helps create the perceived space that allows your eye to be pulled into the scene. If my composition is effective: you looked at one of the key focal points of the image, say the sunset, boat or the anchor and sand. then you are taken around the image without even knowing it. Your eye follows back along the shoreline to the sand then back out along the anchor rope to the boat and so on and so forth. Keeping your eye and mind entertained circling around the image. The longer you remain circling the more detail you look for and before you know it you have been looking at the image long enough to tell yourself: “This is a nice image !”

Great compositions do this without you even knowing it. Try this with some online images or even my landscape gallery (shameless plug 🙂 ) View them and think about what your eyes did when you first viewed the image. I know I took note of how my own eye viewed images. What it was that my eyes went to ? How did my eyes navigate around the scene, things that I focused on, things that I felt where missing.

Once I saw the patterns of how I viewed images and what I thought worked, it help me build my own composition skills as I sub conscientiously kept these things in mind. Well that’s my opinion anyway.. 🙂 The main thing is have fun, but the power of composition cannot be denied.

Enjoy