Building Depth in Your Photographs
A good photograph is something you can mentally walk through. It has the ability to take a two dimensional representation of a scene and give it real depth. Sometimes, this is described as being a 3D effect, but I think it is more accurate to talk about it as a sense of space. It is something you feel.
I once had a professor explain this concept to me in terms of spatial planes. It is a difficult thing to explain in writing, but I am going to give it a shot.
Flat Images
If you can imagine a wall as a spatial plane at the back of a photograph, we can begin to construct a definite space. In the images below there is one plane represented with an object or person in the foreground. I still like these photographs, but they are not necessarily the high level of achievement that I strive for in creating space in a picture.
For what it is worth, I find that these type of images are super Instagramable.
Corridors
More depth can be achieved by adding corridors to photos. These are often used in leading lines and framing. The corridors create multiple planes of space on as a visualization of the inside of a cube with a flat space on top, sides, back and sometimes bottom.
Still though, and especially when coupled with a compressing lens, this technique can fall flat. It is ultra symmetrical and often unimaginative.
In the image below, you can see how the combination of a corridor with an additional spatial plane has created a more dynamic space with the photograph. This is a more complex technique and adds interest to the viewer.
Layering
Another way to increase the number of spatial planes is through layering. With this technique a photograph uses foreground, middle ground, and background layers to create an image with multiple points of interest. These kinds of photos are not limited to three layers. There can be multiple foreground and middle ground layers within the frame.
More often than not, these layers are stacked on top of one another. While this is again much more interesting than a single flat plane to hold the viewers attention, it is not what I would call dynamic. Layering is sometimes reminiscent of paper cutouts stacked on top one another or a paper cutout puppet show. All the spatial planes hold the same flat-to-the-viewer angle.
Complex Spatial Planes
A more complex approach to building space in a photo requires multiple layers with varying angles of view, working together to create a dynamic and synchronized space. It is not easy.
This type of photograph is not what I would consider to be an instant win for platforms such as instagram. Images like these require the viewer to do more than briefly glance at the frame and determine its value as a picture.
Instagram is instant in more ways than one, and the judgement of the viewer is no exception. Photographs that build complex spatial planes require time to appreciate and they deserve more than a glance.
There are plenty of ways to build depth in photographs using spatial planes beyond the examples I have provided here, but these are a few good examples to get you started on the concept. If you have some good examples of your own work, link them in the comments and I’ll check them out.
