Framing and depth are two very different aspects of landscape photography. Navigate to our landscape section and open the first picture you see.
Let’s see the Spray Lakes Storm, for instance. The composition of this landscape photograph is a sight for sore eyes. It follows the rule of thirds perfectly, with the trees taking up the center, the lake at the bottom, and cloudy skies at the top. Secondly, the textured clouds and foregrounded lake add a certain depth to the overall image.
Below are some ways landscape photographers manipulate and enhance these two elements.
Be on the Lookout for Mother Nature’s Frames
No one does frames quite like Mother Nature. Depending on your perspective, you can use any natural element, such as trees, clouds, mountains, and rocks, as your frame. Tree-lined roads aren’t exactly natural, but they, too, may serve as makeshift framing elements.
On the other hand, you can also use light and shadow to create a division between different frames.
Related Landscape: Mount Sarbach
Add Depth with the Ground or Skies
Change the perspective of the image you’re trying to capture, and you can add more depth to it. For instance, focusing on the ground can create a division between the background and foreground, adding at least two layers to your image.
Conversely, panning out to include the skies in your overall image will automatically add more depth (layers) via mountains, lakes, trees, embankments, etc.
Related Landscape: Stormy Larch Trees
Image Filename: Moraine-Lake-Sunrise
Image Alt Text: A Panoramic View of Moraine Lake During Sunrise, Showing the Lake Reflecting Ten Snow-Dappled Peaks
Generate Frames During or After the Session
DIYing frames is an art in its own right. Only a few photographers manage framing and depth in landscape photography via a vignetting lens or post-production vignetting because it adds a darker border to the periphery of images.
We won’t judge you for taking the easy way out because this blog is as much about improving composition as making said composition easier.
However, if you’re a self-professed purist, you could achieve framing via graduated ND (neutral density) filters. These filters darken areas with too much light and vice versa to generate a balanced and evenly-framed landscape photograph.
Related Landscape: Vermilion Sunrise
Peruse and Purchase Majestic Landscape Photographs Online
Aspiring professional landscape photographers and those who appreciate landscape snapshots brimming with depth and character can view several instances of using natural and artificial elements to frame and add depth at Jardene Photography, a photography shop in Calgary owned and managed by Andy Denton, an award winning landscape photographer.
Browse fine art landscape photography prints for sale and purchase them from your location in the Great White North, the US, the UK, and some parts of Europe.
Contact us for more information and assistance.