chapter 4: compoSition 9595
Big Foreground
One way to help you explore the relationships of foreground to the rest of the picture is
to find a location with a very interesting foreground. Take a series of pictures of this scene
as you move closer to or farther away from that foreground. What you’re trying to do is
change the relationship of that foreground to the background because of the size of the
foreground in your photo. You may need to use a wide-angle lens when you get very close
to your foreground.
Work the Edges
Years ago, I took a workshop with the great Ernst Haas. He suggested an exercise that is
excellent for learning to check your edges; plus, it’s a bit of a challenge. Go out and look
for compositions that use only the edge for important pictorial details. In other words, the
middle is the only space to support those detailed edges. This isn’t an easy exercise to do,
but even if you fail to find perfect edges, you’ll succeed in becoming a better photographer
because you’ll be learning to work better with edges.
Share your results with the book’s Flickr group!
Join the group here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/LandscapesfromSnapshotstoGreatShots