Make your photo accessible

Thursday 19 June 2025, 16:32 by Nando Harmsen | 2,658 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

When a photo contains many elements, it can be difficult to see through it. For landscape photographers, this is especially true in forests. You can make the photo more accessible by having a path run through it.

However attractive a forest can be, photographing it is often a difficult task. How can you make a photo of trees and shrubs as attractive as possible? There is a reasonably simple way that often works.

A forest, impenetrable and not very exciting.
A photo with many elements in it can look busy. You cannot see through it. This makes the photo inaccessible. Literally. Simply take the viewer along the forest path. This makes the forest more accessible.

A path leads you into the photo. It is a line that not only draws your eye into the photo, but also invites you to look at it for longer. Also choose an eye-catching element, such as a striking tree.

The same forest, but with the path inviting you to look beyond the bend. The forest becomes more accessible, and the photo is also more exciting. What might be visible beyond the bend?
The path can be a straight line into the forest, but that will soon become boring. It will not really arouse your curiosity because you can see where the path leads. There is no surprise, no tension. It is better to choose a curve.

A bend in the path makes the viewer wonder what can be seen beyond it. Perhaps there is an animal, or a wide view opens up. Your imagination can go in any direction.

Do not use this technique only in the forest, or for landscape photography. You can use it anywhere. Give the viewer something to look at, lead the eye somewhere, and create tension by deliberately not showing something.

You might also like

• 

  Composition tip: Use horizontal lines

  by Elja Trum

• 

  Nature photography tip: A forest is not a collection of trees

  by Rob Dijkstra

• 

  Photograph forts during the Forts & Fortifications Festival

  by Elja Trum

• 

  Too perfect to be true

  by Michiel Heijmans

• 

  Inspiration for the landscape with harsh light

  by Nando Harmsen

• 

  Composition tip: Creating a sense of urgency

  by Elja Trum

0 comments

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.