Creating depth
This blogpost will be all about the depth of a photograph. I will discuss how underrated and important it is in wildlife photography- which is weird as it’s one of the most important things in landscape photography and portraiture. We will also discuss how to create depth in Your own photography.
First let me show You 2 photos: one I consider very flat and 2D other I would consider more 3D looking due to the depth created by various factors:
Depth allows You to create a 3D look in Your images making them more impactful for the viewer in most cases. I recently noticed my images lack this aspect, especially when using shorter focal lengths. I will make a direct effort from now to take more landscape images as this should help with developing that skillset.
How? Distance
Distance between You, Your subject, Your background and maybe even the foreground matter a lot here. It is usually said that Your background should be as distant as possible for wildlife photography. While it works for nature portraiture I don’t find this type of image compelling. I like my images to have layers, I like some part of my background to be covered by a branch which is about halfway between the bird and the rest of the background which creates visual layers, giving You the feeling of depth. I do exactly the same with the foreground, I don’t just stick 1 branch in front of my lens and call it good. I look for opportunities to combine a couple of branches in the foreground so that it creates this visual path of things getting slightly less blurry the closer to the subject they are.
Eurasian Hoopoe, Spain: R6 + 28-70, f2, iso 6400, 1/2000s
How? Lines
Lines are typically talked by landscape photographers to lead the viewer's eye through the frame, and while they use roads, paths or rivers to achieve that, us wildlife photographers should aim to utilize branches and trees to have those lines pointing towards our subjects.
Parasitic Jaeger, Iceland: R5 + 100-500, 106mm, f10, iso 3200, 1/3200s
How? Focal length
I will not talk about the technical aspects here, but just note the longer the focal length You are using, the more it compresses the image- ergo creates a flatter look. While for so it might be something they strive to achieve, for me I much rather have more depth in my images. Of course this increases the difficulty of getting the shots, and I will make a newsletter about wide angle (under 70mm) wildlife photography in the future, it does create a more 3D looking scene.
Atlantic Puffin, Iceland: R5 + 28-70, 28mm, f16, iso 1600, 1/250s
How? Depth of the field
Depth of the field can influence depth in Your scene in a similar way that focal length can. The shallower it is, the more perceived depth do the viewers feel. Especially if we are talking about depth of the field so shallow only the eye of the animal is in focus, and the rest is blurry, like in the squirrel image:
Red Squirrel, Poland: R5 + 35/1.4 II, f1.4, iso 1600, 1/3200s
How? Fog
Fog adds depth to photographs by creating layers of visual interest and atmospheric perspective. The gradual obscuring of objects in the distance due to the fog's density results in a natural gradient from sharp to blurred, enhancing the sense of three-dimensionality. This softens edges and diffuses light, which not only adds a mysterious and ethereal quality but also emphasizes the separation between the foreground and background. The varying degrees of visibility among different elements within the frame create a richer and more immersive visual experience, drawing the viewer's eye deeper into the composition.
To put all those things into practise I want to entice You to try and put some foreground element in between You and Your subject next time You are photographing. This simple trick will add depth into Your images instantly, without much work and I hope You like the effects it gives You!