Depth as a creative tool: The pictures of the week
This week's pictures show how several layers can make a photo appear more three-dimensional and create a successful composition.
(Image: dave-derbis)
- Tom Leon Zacharek
When a photo has depth, the main subject of the composition does not stand for itself, but in relation to other elements in the foreground or background. The image becomes three-dimensional through several layers. Either the other picture elements lead the eye and ensure that attention ultimately falls on the actual subject, or they themselves are the main attraction and only really become visible when the viewer turns his gaze away from the main object.
(Image: Mike_FJ)
Mike Schwalbach (Mike_FJ) took his picture Chapel with cotton candy with the help of a 100-200 millimeter zoom lens. The use of the slight telephoto focal length ensures that the foreground and background move a little closer together and appear as if the building is directly in front of the cloud.
"Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time. On the way to the car, I discovered this fascinating composition and couldn't resist putting my camera back on the tripod and capturing this moment. I particularly liked how the tree is placed against the chapel, as if protecting it, while the cloud itself floats above the scene like cotton candy," says the photographer himself about his shot.
(Image: dg9ncc)
"The spot is a very tried and tested location for me. I visit this little church again and again - at all times of the year and day. This perspective was planned for this night. I didn't know about the chance of seeing auroras until 12 o'clock before taking the photos. During the test shots to determine the image composition, I feared a defect, which manifested itself as a pink spot in the top left of the image. Only after checking the camera did I realize that it was the aurora borealis," says gallery photographerdg9nccabout his picture St. Michael with Milky Way & Aurora Borealis.
The foreground and background were stacked separately from several images (added together). The starry sky consists of 16 images taken at an aperture of f/2.0, ISO 3200 and an exposure time of 20 seconds. The church on the hill was exposed for 158 seconds (around two and a half minutes), also photographed at f/2.0 and ISO 400.
The result is a stunning representation of the auroras that were visible in Europe around May 11, 2024.
(Image: claus-labenz)
Split water in the picture... by claus-labenz , the depth can be seen not so much in a pictorial sense, but in a real sense. The green strip that runs through the lake like a footbridge could be seen by the photographer from a bridge. A few gallery members remarked that the somewhat bushy part of the grass looks like an animal running along it. Perhaps a squirrel?
(Image: Rolf Fries )
Rolf Fries works with little depth, but with a background that looks as if it has been painted, in his photograph Rapsweisling. The warm colors and their gradient complement the delicate butterfly and the flower it is sitting on.
"Unfortunately, this is not a current picture, but an "archive picture" from 2018, because the search for motifs is becoming increasingly challenging and some insects are no longer to be found. We are drastically aware that insect biomass has fallen by 76 percent in 27 years and we are losing at least another 2.5 percent every year. Our "photo motifs" butterflies, hymenoptera, dragonflies, mayflies and beetles are among the most endangered species," regrets the photographer in his message accompanying the picture.
(Image: dave-derbis )
A beautiful and idyllic scene can be seen in the picture Canoe Trip by Dave Derbis (dave-derbis). The depth of the lake is framed by the surrounding shore and the reflection adds another dimension to the whole. "The photo was taken on a canoe trip in Sweden. It was a perfect day to be out on the water. There was hardly any wind, which made the water literally as smooth as glass and also inspired me to take the snapshot with the beautiful reflections of the sky in the water," Dave Derbis tells us.
(Image: Bernd Seibel )
Bernd Seibel 's garden landscape also has many levels, in which the pavilion in the middle stands out as the main element. Framed by the shrubs and trees, the view is drawn to the building. The dark clouds highlight the glass dome and the light-colored stone. The staggering gives the picture a special depth. The photo was taken in the French municipality of Cluny, north of Lyon.
In his email to us, Bernd Seibel adds: "The motif is the garden of Cormatin Castle near Cluny, a garden jewel in the Renaissance style. The cut and cultivated garden provides a clear counterpoint to the surrounding gentle meadows and hilly landscape of Burgundy. Despite the prevailing rainy weather, the sky sometimes opened up and the picture was taken during such a moment.
(Image: NAlois )
You can look far into the distance on the Farrenpoint Alm, here as a photo byNAlois .The many mountain ranges are staggered so that the view sweeps from one to the next. The clouds further concentrate the view by framing the mountains. The tree stump in the foreground acts as a point of orientation for the viewer and places the vastness of the scenery in perspective to the photographer's point of view.
The photographer also explains the Farrenpoint summit: "300 meters east of the summit is this striking dead tree with roots, which I have placed on the left in the foreground. As there were no cattle on this part of the mountain pasture, the dandelion flowers were still available for the foreground. The direction of the picture is south-east towards the Kaiser and the main Alpine ridge."
You can find an overview of all the images from this week here:
Die Bilder der Woche KW 21 (7 Bilder)
(Bild: Mike_FJ)
(cbr)
