There are many photography lessons I have learned over the years (and more than I have yet to learn), but I remember it with special affection, I even remember who gave it to me and when, and that’s because it marked a before. and then in my photographs. They started to have a feeling they lacked, no matter how much I wanted to believe I was good at it?It’s about including the human element in the image.
There are several reasons to include this element, and that’s the topic of today’s article, because if you start, it’s a more valuable lesson than you think, my way of thanking someone for giving me this information is to share it with you. I hope it will serve you as much as I do, and that when you finish reading this article your way of thinking has changed a little and you will be encouraged to include this human factor in your photographs.
- When you convert a three-dimensional scene to a small two-dimensional format relative to the scene.
- The size information is lost along the way.
- Instead.
- You can touch.
- Swipe back and forth.
- Look up.
- Down.
- Know how far everything is.
- What the height or width of the building is in front of you.
- How big the lake is in front of you.
- Or how high is the mountain you just climbed and the effort you’ve made to climb it (Are you still talking?) But the person who sees the photo you take of this space doesn’t have this information.
- Doesn’t know how tall the building is or whether it’s a rocky mound or a big mountain.
For this, you need a reference, a known element in size, you need to show it the scale. Including a human figure is one way to tell your brain, “Hey!Here’s a reference, look at the size of this place compared to that person. Yes, an animal can also be used for you, but what if you don’t have it handy?And no, a tree in a landscape is not worth it, because it is a shrub equivalent to a 4-meter tree?
As much as the scene in front of you looks wonderful, or even the most beautiful landscape you’ve ever seen, something may be missing when you pass it to a photograph, imagine, the place is spectacular, the light perfect but something The look doesn’t know where to rest, it goes around the image until you get bored, it’s more, as you don’t know where to stop , it turns to something else-butterfly, this is a risk that can sometimes be taken, if you are clear, but including a focus in a photograph is a safe bet. In a landscape, a flower or a bird can do you good, but what if none of this works for you?What if there wasn’t anything like it?
A human figure will certainly help you convey an emotion, a feeling, the attitude of the person you include will infect the viewer And what is photography but emotion?A decoration can please you a lot, and you can even arouse emotions through its colors, how it affects light, if it is a more deserted place, ice cream, warm, etc. However, with a human figure with a clear attitude, emotion is assured. In addition, in the same scenario or landscape, completely different sensations can be transmitted depending on the position of the figure Will it be the same to include a person who jumps and a person lying in the middle of a valley?Life is a matter of attitude, photography too?
Many times we have told you about the importance of telling a story through photography, an image that tells a story will captivate the viewer, make him want to stay and read the photograph, discover in his imagination what happens next, what is the beginning and the end of this story. A photograph that tells a good story will always be a thousand times better than a technically perfect but completely empty photograph.
Including a human figure (or several) is one of the premises to follow to tell it, you can also use objects that remind you of the human presence, objects that speak of people, that imply that they are there, nearby, that are part. of the narrative.
When you doubt what happens to your photography, try a human element, will you see how everything changes?
In front of a landscape or, above all, an architectural element, which is usually static, motionless, unless the water is included in a fluid version, such as a sea of waves or a river (a puddle of immobile water or a lake motionless as a rock is not worth), everything will transmit calm, sterism, including a moving human figure will help you (in addition to the above points) to provide a dose of dynamism , this will give the image a contrast between movement and motionless. That way, the image gains interest, don’t you think?
After reading this, I ask a question: should we always include the human element?You probably don’t need me to answer you, but if you want to know my opinion is no, it’s not always necessary to include the human figure, of course. It’s one more resource that you have at hand and that you must learn to use to get the most out of yourself: your photos. I’m putting this resource at your disposal, as someone in their time did it with me, now it’s up to you to decide when is the best time to do it, when your photograph needs it.
If you found it useful or interesting, I ask you to share it on your social networks, so I will know if you like the topics I propose;). Thanks for coming, see you soon!