CONTEXT: The Secret to Outdoor Photos with Maximum Impact (VIDEO)
Thoughtful composition is an essential element of all great photos, especially when shooting complicated nature and landscape scenes that can really confuse a viewer. Today you’ll learn how to employ a simple technique that will “instantly” boost the impact of every image you make in the great outdoors.
The video below from pro Gary W is all about adding context to your compositions, and it only takes him five minutes to demonstrate how the concept works. He’s a versatile pro whose portfolio contains stunning landscapes, beautiful portraits, travel photos, and eye-catching images shot on the street. He’s also very experienced at mobile photography.
Gary introduces today’s five-minute episode like this: “By adding context we can turn a simple photo into a stunning masterpiece. That’s because context adds a storytelling element and an anchor point to our photos.” Best yet, this oft-ignored technique works wonders with photos of all genres and is simple enough for photographers of all skill levels to master quickly.
Context can mean any element within the frame that adds extra information like a sense of scale, time of day, a destination, and even various moods or feelings. As Gary says, doing so “adds an extra level of storytelling that separates high-quality photographs from those that are just ordinary.”
Gary demonstrates several ways to get the job done with inspirational images that illustrate these techniques. He begins by demonstrating how to accentuate an identifiable object to provide a clear sense of scale to other elements within the frame. Depending upon location this object can be a person walking along the beach, a car driving down a country road, a rock formation, a solitary tree, or anything else that grabs your attention.
The bottom line is this: These elements, when properly placed, can emphasize speed, the majesty of mountains looming in the distance, or the scale of a large lake or small pond. This approach requires no special skills or gear—just a willingness to view the world a bit differently when composing your shots.
There’s much more to learn about all styles of photography on Gary’s instructional You Tube channel, to be sure and check it out when you have time to explore.
We also recommend watching the tutorial we featured recently with an acclaimed impressionist photographer who demonstrates how easy it is to capture spectacular photographs of the magical world hidden within raindrops.
