Open Spaces: Landscape Photography

Open Spaces encourages the awareness of the rich diversity of natural and urban environment and the ability to see it in many different ways. This assignment is meant to encourage you as a photographer to get involved with the space around you, what influences and inspires you.

Criteria for assignment Choose a landscape, urban or natural, that is important either to your experiences or values. While capturing your personal landscape digitally, be sure to create a focal point by using the following five photography techniques: Rule of Thirds, Selective Focus, Leading Lines, Horizon Line, and Framing

Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds divides the photograph composition into "thirds" both vertically and horizontally. The division does not have to be 'equal thirds"

SELECTIVE FOCUS Selective focus is achieved by using a large lens aperture which creates a shallow depth-of-field. Selective focus draws the viewer's eye to a point of interest by blurring the background. This technique is very useful in portrait and close-up photographs.

LEADING LINES Leading lines draw the viewer's eye to the point of interest or help create the illusion of depth and/or distance.

HORIZON LINE The horizon line in a photograph can be high or low depending on what you want to emphasize. A "high" horizon line emphasizes the "foreground" of the landscape photograph. The "low" horizon line emphasizes the sunrise sky in the "background" of the photograph.

FRAMING Framing is a technique that creates the illusion of depth and draws the viewer's eye to a focal point of interest. Think of focusing the viewers attention on the main subject by photographing the subject THROUGH something else.