Creative 52: Weekly Projects to Invigorate Your Photography Portfolio

Challenge 14. Be a Voyeur

Description

Many portrait photographers approach portraits as if they were two-dimensional. A subject standing in front of a background: flat! These photographers sometimes fail to communicate depth by using a foreground, middle ground, and background.

For this challenge, add depth to your portrait by “being a voyeur.” Include foreground elements that give a sense of reality, as if the viewer is actually peeking in at the scene. This will also communicate depth and invite the eye to explore.

When you’re trying this voyeuristic technique, shoot at a wider aperture to blur the elements that are between you and your subject. The foreground will act as compositional framing. I’ll often shoot at f/3.5 or wider.

You may ...