THE SPACE BETWEEN

WATCH ALL THE ELEMENTS IN YOUR FRAME

The natural world is visual chaos. Plants grow, rivers flow, rocks roll, and clouds float along with no regard to where landscape photographers place their cameras. While light is a critical element for a great photograph, so is its design. How lines, shapes, and forms relate to each other, and where graphic elements fit in your frame are equally important—camera position matters.

I love the process of designing photographs. Once I discover an inspirational subject and lighting, the graphic designer in me kicks in. Are there key elements that merge or clash, causing confusion? Are there unimportant objects that I could crop out? Can I move my camera position to create spacing between objects that makes the image more balanced or cleaner, with less distraction?

Students who work with me in the field soon find out how much of a difference a few inches to the left or right, up or down, can make in their compositions. It is not so much that there is one perfect spot for any given image, but more about how closely you pay attention. It is all in the footwork, like it is for a dancer or athlete. Look around the edges of the frame and the spaces between and behind your subject.

In my photograph of a pecan grove, the graphic design is apparent when you look at the finished image. What you don’t see is the process of getting to this final framing. A slight move to the left or right changed the relationship of every tree. I slowly moved the camera until each tree was separated from the others, and I could see as many trees as possible. The relationships between trees or any lines usually can’t be perfectly aligned, nor would you want them to be, but the spacing of these trees conveys more density and a certain symmetry. The dense fog serves to simplify the graphic quality of the tree trunks.

My photograph of Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite is another example of how spacing and camera position make a big difference. I was walking up to the base of the fall with family who were visiting from Canada. I wasn’t planning on photographing seriously, but had brought my camera along. However, I did time this short walk for my favored lighting conditions. The fresh green of the maple leaves glowed against the dark granite wall, and the waterfall itself danced wildly in the wind.

I spent just a few minutes with this composition, at first focusing on the leaves and branches. After taking a few frames, I started “the dance.” I maneuvered around on the crowded trail, watching for a balance of critical elements. I found one spot where the top of the falls was visible, and the spray was blowing to the left, framing itself perfectly between maple branches. This photo was a “grab” shot in terms of time, but my experience and training helped me to quickly find and refine the image in a rushed and crowded situation.

Bridalveil Fall and Maple Leaves | Yosemite National Park, California | 2016

Burnt Trees and Shadows on Snow shows the need to pay attention to the spaces in between. I was driving in my van when I spotted this group of trees, so I parked nearby. The snow was three feet deep, and I found packed-down cross-country ski tracks to walk on. When I stepped off the tracks, I sank deeply into the snow. I needed to set up on top of the tracks because this high angle allowed me to see the separation between the shadows. If I had set up down in the snow, the shadow lines would have merged from that lower angle. Picture me perched on top of these narrow tracks trying to set my three tripod legs solidly on top of two narrow ski tracks—with my view camera no less!

To find the best composition in terms of the spacing among the trees and shadows, I became immersed in the dance of design. I made some full-framed images, both horizontal and vertical. All the while, I watched how the graphics in the frame were working. Each small move of my camera position made a big difference. The fact that the shadows continually changed as I photographed heightened my excitement and made the process all the more challenging. I spent at least an hour with these burnt lodge-pole pines. Somewhere during that time, I made some panoramic versions that seemed to pare down the elements to the essentials. In the panoramic versions, the source of many of the shadows can’t be seen, which leaves something to the viewer’s imagination.

As I worked, I remembered that I have a tendency to space objects uniformly through an image, and often that works for me. Sometimes, however, this leads to images that look too controlled. To paraphrase the great photographer Edward Weston, “Always question preconceived notions, especially your own.” With this thought in mind, I positioned my camera so that the lines of the trees nearly merged in places, creating some tension in the design. The blending of chaos and order, which is what I enjoyed about the scene, was achieved. The magic of the scene comes through clearly, but not too perfectly.

Instead of overanalyzing each adjustment in the composition I made while in the field, I simply tried as many options as I could imagine.

The lesson of the day: learn to watch all the elements in your frame, not just the main subject. See how they relate to each other, and look for “mergers” where key objects such the trees merge with, distract from, or minimize other graphic elements. Develop the habit of not accepting the first option when you set up your compositions. Always push for better ones. When you take the time to edit the results carefully, you will get critical feedback on your successes and failures. This feedback loop of capturing images, then learning what works or not, will help you learn to trust your design instincts. Your photographs will be stronger when you seek to find some order to the chaos.

Burnt Trees and Shadows on Snow | Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming | 1993

Dogwood and Merced River | Yosemite National Park, California | 2017