If there is one
effective technique when composing with a wide-angle lens, it is to
use line in the foreground to pull (or at the least, lead) the
viewer into the scene. The use of line and the sense of depth that
results, can also create a 3D feel in the two-dimensional
image.
Seconds after arriving in the UAE desert
near the Saudi Arabian border, I was quick to ask my friend Yousif
to walk atop a large sand dune. I wanted to convey the feeling of
humility, and what better canvas to express this than the enormity
of the desert in contrast to the small, fragile form of man.
Handholding the camera, I chose a low point of view on the sand to
trigger the viewer’s sense of touch as well as used lines in the
foreground and middle ground to lead to and call attention to the
struggle of man. As Thoreau said, most men lead lives of quiet
desperation, and this photo tries to convey that same message.
Regardless, it is safe to say that everyone who views this
composition gets a very strong sense of the terrain and the main
subject in the overall composition, which has much to do with the
use of immediate foreground texture and the many
lines.
Nikon D3X with Nikkor 16–35mm lens at
16mm, f/22 for 1/125 sec., ISO 200, with elbows firm on the
sand