Figures in Landscape (7)

Requirement

2 to 3 photographs

Purpose

To explore the role which figures play in the landscape

Technical learning

• The human form exerts an influence on nearly all images out of proportion to its size in the frame
• Consequently, in landscapes you need to consider carefully the role played by human presence in 3 ways
• First, the effect on image balance
• Second, the impact on the focus of attention - by reference to relative size, contrast and position in the frame (what is your subject? Is it the landscape or the human figure? If the latter, the image is arguably a portrait – but who cares if the image has something worth saying?)
• Third, the benefit of adding a yardstick of scale to the rest of the scene

Exercise instructions

Find a scene with human presence. Shoot images that explore the role of the human figure in a landscape composition: i.e. 

• balance
• focus of attention (size, contrast and position in the frame) 
• benchmark for scale

Be aware that ideal positioning of human interest in a landscape can be a matter of chance. Be patient, vary your viewpoint, use a friend. However, move on if the prospect of placing your human figure where you want it, looks unlikely. Put your finger over the human figure image and decide how its absence affects the picture. 

Images and Review

Early morning beach walker at Sidmouth, Devon

Figure as focus of attention.
Placing the walker in the bottom right
catches the eye, encouraging it to follow the full sweep
of the misty coastline. Image cropped 2:1 to increase
this effect (as well as remove part of a featureless sky).
However, the dull expanse of shingle is unsatisfactory (c 33%
of space). Nevertheless,  the 'finger test' shows that the walker
helps draw the eye away from shingle. 

Figures at the side of the Wallensee

Figures to show scale
The 2 figures on the shore of the lake show the
scale of the mountains in the background as well
as providing foreground interest. The use of
vertical framing adds to the sense of scale (although
reduces the panoramic effect)

Man walking his dogs at the beach, Burnham-on-Sea

Figures to provide balance
The man and his dogs balance each other on the wall
which divides the frame as well as providing
a stable base on which to construct the image