EX37 Depth Captivates

September 15, 2019 Len Metcalf

Adding a sense of visual depth to art started roughly in the renaissance once artists started using concave mirrors to project images to trace and paint them. This at the same time we started seeing very realistic paintings in the art world.

I have noticed that photographs with depth in them seem to captivate the viewer over a long period of time. Keeping the viewers attention for longer that many that don’t.

It is as though there is more for the mind to wander into, whilst exploring the image. The mind is free to wander around. Going deeper into the photograph.

If I ever have the opportunity it is something I love to explore. I often even chase it. I believe this is where compositional rules such as adding foreground interest come from. By adding something in the front of the photograph we create a greater sense of depth in the artwork.

There are many ways of adding depth:

Atmospheric perspective is when we have sharper, more contrasty and warmer colours in the foreground. Whilst in the background we can let things get blurrier, less contrast and cooler colours. This is accentuated by the atmospheric conditions such as mist, heat, pollution and smog. Hence one of my loves for photographing in the mist. To accentuate this I weight the focus into the front of the photograph, sacrificing sharpness in the distance. This helps accentuate the depth in the photograph.

Linear perspective is when we use leading lines that head out to vanishing points on the horizon. These help tell the viewer that things are further away. Objects naturally appear smaller the further away they are. We can use this to create depth. A wide angle lens helps create this sense of forced perspective.

This week I want you to explore depth in your work. Intentionally play with it, and add it to your work to see if you can create a photograph that really captures the imagination of the viewer. You can use any of the methods I have described. Perhaps I have missed some that you might like to mention and try. I will include some examples for you to ponder. Aim for three photographs, to post, and discuss how much depth you are getting from the other artworks.

Notice how the tree in the foreground is sharper, and has more contrast than the distance. Notice how the sharpness and contrast decreases into the distance.

In this photograph the mist accentuates the depth, making the contrast reduce quickly in a short distance and hence accentuating the depth.

This photograph uses linear perspective to create a sense of depth. The steps are reducing in size as they recede into the distance. The small ‘S’ curve also helps this along.

The triangular shape created by the edges of the creek show the lines of linear perspective. If you drew straight lines along each bank they would converge at the horizon. The horizon is actually hidden as this in mountainous terrain.

The pebbles get smaller in the distance due to linear perspective. This helps tell the viewer they are further away. Hopefully this gives the viewer somewhere to walk into the photograph.

Notice how the saturation drops into the distance, and how the colours become cooler. They are warmer in the front and saturation is higher. Subtle, but definitely there to see.

In terms of tones, things tend to get lighter in the distance. This is because they are less contrasty as the light travels through the atmosphere. Though in this photograph it is caused by the light being brighter in the background. This increases the perceived sense of depth.