Tip of the month: October 2023. A human figure in the landscape.
More and more these days, I see landscapes – especially sunsets and sunrises – as a background, not a whole photo. Of course you can be lucky and have a great foreground object to add the extra interest the photo needs. But without it you might have a background desperately in need of a subject. In these situations, I will often look for a way to introduce a human element into the image. People can add interest to a photo in different ways. A tiny figure in a huge scene can add a sense of scale. The surfer in the photo above illustrates just how big and wild those waves are. He also creates a story element in what would otherwise be just a mildly interesting scene.
The two people in the sunset photo (above) were included quite deliberately. I was faced with a magnificent sky, but somehow it wasn’t enough to create a compelling image. And without so much as a rock on the beach to add a foreground focal point, I had a background and nothing else. So when I spotted the young couple on the beach taking selfies, I asked them to stand in my photo – in return for sending them a copy when they got home from their holiday.
…And there I go again. This shot was more opportunistic than planned – but once again you can see that the inclusion of human figures in the shot adds an extra point of interest, and at the same time helps us appreciate the size of the cave they are standing in.
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