Volume

The illusion of volume is the magic of art. You feel it when a painting appears so real you think you could touch the subject or walk into the scene. Volume is the essence of composition, transforming a flat, two-dimensional canvas into a captivating three-dimensional world.

How do you create volume? There are three tried-and-true methods.

The first is light and shadow. Placing highlights on surfaces where light hits directly and adding shadow where the light fades enhances the feeling of three-dimensionality. Do any of you recall the “shading the apple” exercise in a beginner’s drawing class?

The second is gradation or smooth transitions between colors. The eye naturally moves from dark to light objects. In the landscape, darker colors are usually closest to us, with colors becoming lighter in the distance.

The third is perspective, leading the viewer’s eye deeper. Linear perspective, for example, where lines converge in the distance at a vanishing point, creates depth and volume. Another example is framing the subject to create depth.

Photographer David Osborn says, “Knowing where to look in a picture is not the viewer’s responsibility; it’s your responsibility as the photographer to tell the viewer where to look.”

Creating volume through composition and post-processing guides the viewer’s eye through a photograph. It draws in the audience and keeps them captivated. And it can aid in storytelling.

Leading Lines

Using leading lines helps create perspective and a feeling of depth. Leading lines are lines that lead the viewer’s eye from one part of a composition to another. They often begin at the bottom of the frame and guide the eye upward, from the foreground to the background.

Leading lines can be straight or curved. Elements such as pathways, roads, rivers, streams, fences, tree lines, architectural elements, shorelines, beach patterns, light, and shadows can both create depth and guide the eye.

Here’s a favorite example of mine from Death Valley, California.

The Shot

On January 16, our photography group was outside the village of Al-Disah in the Tabuk Province of Saudi Arabia. The trees attracted us, as their shadows could form leading lines guiding the eye towards the distance.

Choosing a tree, I waited until the sun dipped close to the horizon, creating beautiful converging shadows leading to the tree. I then shifted slightly to block most of the sun, allowing just enough light to create an attractive sun star.

A modest amount of Photoshop post-processing lightened the distant peaks, enhancing the illusion of depth. I also slightly darkened the foreground.

Satisfied that the composition and limited post-processing achieved my goal of achieving volume, I happily saved my image and turned in for the night.

Thanks for looking,

Chuck Derus Zenfolio | Chuck Derus