{"id":11701,"date":"2019-05-08T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T12:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/?p=11701"},"modified":"2019-05-08T23:36:27","modified_gmt":"2019-05-08T23:36:27","slug":"compose-vertical-landscape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apogeephoto.com\/compose-vertical-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Compose The Vertical Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Grab a camera. Look at its design and horizontal layout. Makes one wonder, were modern cameras designed to make it easier to take mainly horizontal pictures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isle of Skye, Scotland, all text and photography is (c) Copyright 2019, Jim Austin Jimages.com.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Let’s turn things 90 degrees. Why? To portray strength, height, and depth in a photograph, we might want to turn our cameras vertically. Vertical landscapes and seascapes emphasize the height of structures, a perspective that can be lost in horizontal compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Atop the Crooked Island Lighthouse, Bird Rock Cay, Bahamas.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
When I first started photographing, I took all my pictures holding my camera horizontally. Later on, I began to look at what celebrated landscape photographers were doing. I studied the way they composed. I still peruse their print books to learn from the work of David and Marc Muench, Elliot Porter, Freeman Patterson, Sherman Hines, Philip Hyde, John Sexton, William Neill, Galen Rowell, and Art Wolfe. All of these photographers make vertically-framed landscapes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kayaking Armbrister Creek, Old Bight, Cat Island, Bahamas.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Now, turning our cameras vertically is just the beginning. I tell my adventure photo students that our fun begins when we work with key elements of design. Here are a few of these elements that will enhance our vertical compositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Avoid dividing the frame in half. Doing so gives viewers a static feeling. A centered horizon makes the image look like two rectangles stuck together. While not a rule or guideline, try an unequal division of your frame in proportions of 1\/4 to 3\/4, or 1\/3 to 2\/3. These unequal sky to ground relationships create more movement and are less static.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rock Crab mout, near Orange Creek, Cat Island, Bahamas.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
2: Emphasize Foreground<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Compose with a strong foreground element, like this colorful rock crab molt. When a large format camera or camera with a tilt-shift lens is used with its tilt method, the resulting depth makes viewers feel they are right there. The object in the image foreground feels, perceptually, like it’s right “under our feet.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In general, to create a sense of depth, we move the camera in small shifts and short distances to make our foreground element larger, to change its relationship to the frame, and select out distracting forms and tones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How far away should the foreground element be? My measure for a reasonable distance between lens and foreground, depending on the lens focal length, is close enough that I can reach out and touch the object with the hand that is not pressing the shutter. Wide angle lenses are an excellent choice to bring a foreground in close, then get the middle ground and background in focus for depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3: Green<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A green color in the foreground works well and is often a sign of Spring and of renewal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ancient granite and lichen at Neist Point Lighthouse, Isle of Skye, Scottish Highlands.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
4: Edges<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The frame makes up the edges of a photograph. The four edges are a vital composition element, and we don’t want them too bright. We must keep the edges lively, but eliminate visual elements that do not belong. A balance of tones within the frame is a key to a well-composed picture. Successful landscapes rarely have very bright highlights or objects touching the frame’s edge. A slight vignette helps darken areas near the frame edges and direct the viewers gaze to the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5: Filter<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
To achieve a balance of tones when photographing a bright sky or sea is a challenge. A Neutral Density filter or circular polarizing filter can be added to change the contrast and balance highlights, mid-tones, and shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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