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