| EXAMPLE | |
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This photograph has cattails in the lower left which create a "close zone." The water serves as a "medium zone" and the distant trees create a "far zone." Together, these three elements help create the illusion of depth. |
A photograph is a flat, two dimensional object (length and height). A photo usually has more visual impact when it takes on a third dimension - depth. Although physical depth is not possible, an illusion of depth can be achieved in two ways: Near, Medium, Far and Leading Lines.
Near, Medium, Far
The illusion of depth can be achieved by having zones in a photo which the
eye recognizes as being close, a medium distance, and far away.
| EXAMPLE | |
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This photograph has cattails in the lower left which create a "close zone." The water serves as a "medium zone" and the distant trees create a "far zone." Together, these three elements help create the illusion of depth. |
Leading Lines
The illusion of depth can also be achieved through Leading Lines. A
Leading Line happens when an object in the photo makes a transition from one depth zone to
the next more distant zone(s). Leading Lines are also achieved when objects in the
photo seem to physically point to an item or area of interest.
| EXAMPLES | |
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Rivers, roads, and fence lines make good candidates for Leading Lines. In this example, three Leading Lines are at work to lead your eye from the bottom of the photo into the heart of the scene where the river seems to disappear. One line is created by the left river bank and a second by the right river bank. A third Leading Line is the S-shaped glare from the middle of the meandering river. The three Leading Lines converge at the same place and serves to give the photo depth by drawing your eye into the scene. |
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This photograph has both obvious and sneaky Leading Lines. The superstructure serves as an obvious line which draws the eye from the left toward the center. The "sneaky" Leading Lines are created when I was able to find a drifted log which had two prongs. I selected a perspective where each of the prongs pointed toward a lighthouse. The effect is that your eye is guided from the log, which is recognized in the near zone, to the lighthouses in the far zone. The resulting directed visual attention gives the image a sense of depth. |
