While the photography purist may say that there is no distinction between foreground and background and that a photograph is a flattened abstraction of the visual content of the frame, it’s still good to note how objects on differnt planes of depth interact visually with each other, and provide some tips on how to best use this interaction for aesthetically pleasing and fun results.

This article is not strictly a tutorial or general guide, rather a collection of ideas and examples reagrding the creative use of interaction between foreground and background in photography. A composition’s background can take up numerous different roles in the aesthetic and semantic result of a photo. It can provide context and depth in the story. It can be a nullifier that isolates the subject and makes the viewer focus in it. It can oftentimes reverse the balance of the photo and become the subject itself. It can become one with the subject, a complementary element, without which the foreground cannot be deciphered.

Travel photography is rarely about clear-cut, clinically clean, singular subjects. It often involves the capture of ambient semantics of location, the recreation of the overall atmosphere of a place, or the depiction of subjects that span the visual space from immediate foreground all the way to the background. Playing with the choice and placement of objects and environment inside the frame, depth-wise, can produce some interesting results.

Let’s look at some examples:

1. Providing context

In the following photo, we have a group shot that would be almost meaningless without the context of its location. The wide panoramic view of the exotic, barren, far-reaching landscape makes it interesting and tells a story. The bodies look tired, the faces look satisfied. The background tells us why it is so.

Another photo where the background tells half of the story is the one below. What would have been a mediocre portrait, is transformed into an intriguing personal scene by the atmosphere that the background carries. It not only provides context, it also sets the mood of the photo.

2. Providing focus

A featureless background may be void of context, thus directing the focus onto the foreground subject of the photo. Often that is ideal for portraits. Featureless does not neccessarily need to mean ‘bland’ though. In the following photo, the intensely coloured but smoothly textured nature of a red velvet couch sets the mood while keeping visual distraction to a minimum.

3. The background is the subject

This reversal of perception can sometimes produce striking photographs like the one below. Here, the foreground object is just setting the stage and providing a measure of depth and balance for the actual subject which lies in the background.

4. The background complements the subject

Here, a subject that would be boring if composed in its entirety is captured by showing only parts of it, but arranging them in depth so that they create an imaginary understanding of the whole. You don’t need to see the entire train of sushi dishes to figure out that this is a big conductor-tape circling around the bar. A couple of dishes up front, a line of dishes in the back, and a few heads of restaurant patrons are enough to give you a mental image of the place. The arrangement in depth gives you the added benefits of detail focus on the colourful subject and a less conventional, flat depiction of the scene.

Travel photography is not just about the artful representation of exotic lands. It is just as much about documenting your vacation. The ubiquitous group shot with friends should be treated as the precious capture it is. Even with rudimentary equipment and by following a few simple rules, you can create photos that carry the spirit of the day and bring memories to life, the way they’re worth remembering.

To begin with, there are no definitive rules in photography, so the following advice should not be taken as such. They should be rather seen as common examples of ways to set up a group photo. I have some sample photos here, to illustrate my point in each case, trying to show what made a particular picture a ‘keeper’ and what went wrong in each one.

1. Arrangement

Observation and experience shows that in many cases, the typical ’stand side-by-side‘ group photo is an arrangement that doesn’t work too well visually. Common human perception is usually more pleased with more crowded arrangements of faces that fill the frame in a non-linear manner. An easy way to achieve this effect is to have your subjects pose such that their faces are placed on the intersections of an imaginary triangular grid. This is easy to do, since most people have different heights, and if asked to crowd in a small space to pose, (“hey guys can you all move closer and make two rows to fit you all in the frame?”) they will naturally arrange themselves so that they can all see the camera.

2. Positioning and framing

Positioning your subjects against the background and choice of framing/composition can make all the difference in the world. Most people will instinctively put their subject in the middle of the frame. With featureless backgrounds and a ‘look at the camera and smile’ pose, this direct approach can work very well – as shown in the following example.

When framing people on a group shot, it is a good idea, when possible, to try and include their entire bodies. If you want to close up on the action, or your angle of shooting forces you to amputate your subjects, try to do this between (and not on) the joints. (ankles, knees, wrists, elbows, shoulders) For some unexplained reason, it looks better. For full-frame group portraits, framing above the bust is the most common approach. Another thing to note below is how I allowed some vertical space (margins) so that the frame wouldn’t ‘crowd’ the image.

When your pose is more dynamic, featuring some action and/or having subjects look away from the camera at angles to the frame, it might prove more interesting, visually, to position your subjects off-center, prefereable 1/3rd of the way left or right. This way you can use the rest of the the frame to include some background element that gives depth to the photo and defines something characteristic of the context or location. Here’s an example of this approach.

3. Situation, pose, expression

I started with the framing and arrangement of the subjects, but this doesn’t mean that the situation, the pose and the expression of the subjects are less significant. On the contrary. In the following example I have violated the above rules regarding arrangement, I have amputated the legs of the entire group, and yet the photo works. Good lighting of the scene, an unusual attire, hinting at some outdoor activity, and a lucky set of expressions and lively poses has created a rather interesting shot.

4. Light

Light is the essence of photography. The quality, intensity, color and direction of light is what makes (and un-makes) a photo. Before you click, take a short pause to think about the setup of your shot, and try to avoid the following common pitfalls:

Shooting against the sun is rarely a good idea. In the best case you will get something like the photo below, where the faces are decently lit, but the background is blown away. In the worst case you’ll get a nice background and some muddy-dark figures in the front.

Subjects facing the sun will tend to reflexively tend to close their eyes and make a funny expression of discomfort. So, contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t set up the shot with the sun to your back (i.e. facing your subjects) but at an angle. Early morning or late evening sun is better, less intense, and produces warmer colours.

Subjects in exceedingly bright surroundings will suffer the same ill effect with their eyes, even if they’re standing in the shade. This is a problem particularly on white-sand beaches, deserts, bright-colour outdoors, snow, and generally any area where ground reflections are intense.

Mid-day sun produces hard vertical shadows that distort facial characteristics. Having your subject look at an oblique upward angle may make things a little better. Subject wearing sunglasses have a better chance of looking semi-directly to mid-day sun and still manage to hold a comfortable expression.

4. Candid group shots

Posing is fun, but candid shots of groups engaged in an activity, especially when the environment is shown, can be pretty interesting, too. Step back for a while, take advantage of depth as your subjects are doing something and not lining up. Capture that travel moment.