Space is a very important element because it gives your images depth. Images without depth from foreground to background appear flat and are less realistic and inviting.
Landscape photography is a great way to demonstrate how to use space to give your photographs more depth. This image below is an example of a lack of depth. While there are still a background, middle ground, and foreground, they are not as defined as they could be.
This image of Big Laurel Creek has much more separation between levels of depth. This was achieved by a large difference in light levels as well as distortion from a wide-angle lens. The background adds to the image, but it isn’t overwhelming. The foreground is large, dominant, and right where your eye lands on the subject of the image. The middle ground works to bridge the two.
Here are a few more images with a huge separation of foreground and background.
In the next image, technically the background is the focal point. Your eye is drawn BACK in to the image until you can’t go any deeper. The foreground is close, but not distracting.
Check out all the other elements of art in photography here.
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