Create Depth in Photographic Composition
The still photographer is constantly challenged to take the viewer beyond the confines of the 2 dimensional frame. Thankfully the eye and the mind can be tricked to suggest depth and luckily we have proven tools to create depth in photographic composition at our disposal just for that purpose.
- Linear Perspective – this is the situation where depth is suggested by use of converging lines. We can think of railway tracks converging in the distance.
- Aerial Perspective – this is the situation where depth is suggested by the atmosphere. We know that objects hazily showing through a cover of fog ought to be further away than things that are nearer.
- Differential lighting – Light illuminates a flat surface evenly. Conversely if a picture shows us something that is not evenly lit, we can interpret a three dimensional surface. This is why direction of light or position of the light source is so important for suggesting depth.
- Differential Focus– Objects are at differnt distances from the cameara. The eyes interpret difference in focus as evidence of depth. In fact good depth of field control is required to suggest depth using differential focus .
- Tonal Separation– Objects that are not illuminated by the same way must be separate from each other. This is our common experience. So tonal separation is another way of suggesting depth.
- Spatial separation – Identical objects appear to be of differnt sizes when they are not at the same distance. The difference in size of similar objects suggest depth.
Take a look at the picture of the bike rider in a Tribeca street. We cannot miss the person crossing the street in the back, silhouetted against a looming skyscraper. Compare that to the person on the bike. This is creating depth using spatial separation. In real life the 2 persons are about the same size and in real life the person further away appear smaller. The brain picks up this familiar visual clue and interprets the distance in between.
Often the techniques to create depth in photographic composition work together. And this photograph has more to tell. Looking at the tall building shrouded in mid-day haze, one ought to believe the building is not just a couple of blocks away from the person crossing the street. Rather it is much further back. In fact the building is in Jersey City across from the Hudson. This is an example of creating depth using aerial perspective, which almost always works with tonal separation.
Spatial separation is also in play in the picture of the Mammoth Springs at the Yellowstone National Park. But perhaps the more interesting case of spatial separation is the repeating bands of light and dark arches created by light coming through from equally spaced gaps at the side of the arched corridor. We know that the repeating bands are of the same size and the sizes appear diminished with distance. The picture has another depth creating visual element – strong linear perspective. The lines along the passage floor and ceiling converge at the back, much like railroad tracks – the canonical example of linear perspective.
By now, I don’t have to tell you that spatial separation and linear perspective are both at work in the picture of the Soho sidewalk. To me, the picture becomes more interesting as liner perspective goes from foreground to the middle from left to right, guided by the sides of the tables and then goes from left to right along the lines defining the steps and the railing.
Moving on to lighting direction. Frontal lighting is not your friend here. The studio portrait has been lit using a key light from the right and a reflector fill from the left. The gradual fall of light across the face gives us spatial information. The face jumps out as it does not appear 2 dimensional any more.
The picture of the flower planter is one of the few cases where top lighting works out. It’s broad daylight and sun is shining from the top on the iridescent flowers. The flower planter stands out from its darker background. We have no doubt that the planter is in a completely different plane from its background. Tonal separation is at work here. It is also at work at the portrait of my uncle. The face comes to life because it stands out so well against a darker background. In fact the tonal separation has been created by careful use of directional lighting. Back lighting in the afternoon creates a halo and fill flash lights the face. The frame has been composed so that background is in the shadows.
Last but not the least – differential focusing. We know from our experience and intuition, that if there are more than one focusing planes in a photograph, then those planes must be at different distances. Thus a out of focus background creates depth between itself and an in-focus subject in the foreground. One in a while we get lucky to have a shot like that of the young woman and a man behind her. Without analyzing too much I will stay on topic and say that the photograph is successful in part because the man in out of focus. This definitely emphasizes the distance between the two and creates the depth.
My last example is the of the beautiful Shin-Deshojo Japanese maple on a misty spring morning, where multiple techniques are in play: Differential focusing, aerial perspective and tonal separation are at work here.
I hope by now you have a fair understanding of the techniques I have discussed. These are the most common and easy to understand techniques to create depth in photographic composition. Photographers have relied on these techniques over and over again.
You can do it too, with much success!
