What is foreground attraction in photography?

3 dimensions 
Pictures are by nature 2 dimensional, trying to capture a 3 dimensional world. Thinking in foreground, midground and background (or distance) when you compose your image, can help bring the illusion to life that the image has a third dimension. So putting something in the foreground to give a bit of edge or contrast relative to the subject (typically found in the midground) can help make your image appear more 3D like.
Foreground attraction in photography
The moss and straws in the foreground serves as foreground attraction here. Some prefer the foreground to be tack sharp and have leading lines pulling the viewer into the scene – here it is more used as a way of framing.

Another role of the foreground can be to help bring the viewer closer to the scene.If you shoot a portrait of a person and the edge of the picture depicts a door, or if you shoot your subject through some vegetation, where the viewer almost feels like they are hiding somewhere and studying the subject.

Foreground attraction in photography
The brutal stem here in the foreground brings the viewer closer to the scene relative to a composition where only trees in the distance were in the frame.
Foreground attraction in photography
The stems left and right not only frame the scene, but gives the illusion that you as a viewer stand next to the stems and look at the bridge in the distance.
Foreground attraction in photography
A more “classic” use of foreground attraction where it almost feels like the foam filled wave is about to pull you into the ocean again!

The point is not to put something in the foreground each and every time. When shooting silhouette photography for example, the whole point is to play with the picture being 2-dimensional! But you can use it as one of many tools in your toolbox, exactly when you see the need to make your D2 images appear more 3D-ish!

Related reading

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Author: Frederik Bøving

Frederik is a photographer, blogger and youtuber living in Denmark in the Copenhagen region. Outdoor photography is the preference, but Frederik can also be found doing flash photography applied to product shoots and stills.

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