Have you ever taken a photo of a breathtaking landscape?
You get home and open it up on your computer to relive the spectacular memory and …. blah! That’s not what it felt like at all.
You can make your photographs look a lot more interesting and artistic by using objects in the foreground to add depth and interest.
Here’s an example. This was taken outside a farm house we rented in Tuscany a few years ago. By placing the bench in the lower right of the picture there is an added “depth” to the photo. Without the bench there would be no way for your eye to judge distance and perspective.
Rule of Thirds for Better Composition
Notice too that this image uses the “Rule of Thirds“. Divide the image into a Tic-Tac-Toe board. Where the lines intersect are the four points of visual interest. The strongest are the two on the right. We read left to right so the right hand points are natural “eye-stoppers” when someone views the photo.
Reading the photo left to right, the bench stops the eye and keeps you in the photo. With the image flipped (below), the composition doesn’t work nearly as well. The bench now blocks your eye from entering the picture.
