Hello! I’m Angel, from (@angelwhitephotography). Hobbyist photographer and mom to two wonderful boys, located in Prince Edward Island, Canada. My love of photography started after my second boy was born and I felt the need to have photos taken for every holiday, special occasion and season. Maybe it came from some mom quilt of looking back at earlier photos of my first born and wishing I had taken more photos then I did. But it started to get pretty pricey running to the local photo studio all the time, so that’s when I decided to buy a camera and then started watching YouTube tutorials on how to use it. Ha!
I’m drawn to all the beauty of nature. Landscapes, textures and wildlife. The great outdoors is my favorite place to photograph my boys. And all of nature’s beauty makes for some great layering in photos. When I don’t have my camera in my hand, you will find me with a good cup of tea!
WHAT’S IN MY CAMERA BAG?
I shoot with a Nikon d610 and use the Nikon 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, Tokina macro 100mm 2.8 and I just recently got the Sigma 85mm 1.4
WHAT IS LAYERING?
Layering is a compositional technique used in photography that involves using the foreground, middle ground and background of your photo so that all the layers come together creating visual interest throughout the scene and telling a better story you want your viewer to see.
WHY ADD LAYERING TO YOUR PHOTOS?
Adding layering to the image can make for a stronger composition.
Layering can add depth to the photo.
It can emphasize the scale of an image.
Layering helps tell a story or set a mood.
Get your viewers eye moving through the entire frame of the image.
EXAMPLE PHOTOS AND THOUGHT PROCESS WHEN COMPOSING IN LAYERS.
In this first photo that I shot at the beach I knew that I wanted to put some beach grass in the photo to add some texture and to tell the story of him walking through the tall grass. So I got down lower to the ground putting some grass in front of my camera. Now the beach grass is my foreground, my son is the middle ground and the beautiful sky is the background.
In this next photo my son was playing on these rocks. So I took this as an opportunity to make them as my foreground of the photo. My son the middle ground (subject) and the sky and old building as my background. I think it gives depth and gets the viewers eye moving through the image from layer to layer. Also using the rule of thirds and getting lucky with complementary colors, the photo comes together nicely.
Although most of my layering photos are taken outdoors, there is still plenty of ways to incorporate layers into your indoor shots. Here the layers are more subtle, but they are still there. When taking this shot I purposely tucked the camera in the blanket a little to make the foreground of the image. My son and I being the middle ground, and the window and light as the background.
I tried layering differently in this photo. I asked my son to hold his little snowman (cute isn’t it!) out towards my camera so I could focus on it and make my subject the foreground this time. My son the middle ground and then the background. Have fun with it and try different focus points!
In this fall image, I made my foreground by positioning myself so some tree branches and leaves would be peeking in from the side of my frame. My little one is the middle ground and the trees and light the background. I think it made for a beautiful composition.
IDEAS AND TIPS FOR LAYERING.
There is endless possibilities when it comes to layering in an image. Some things you could use are grass and flowers. Flowers are always a favorite used by photographers because they work well for layering and are visually appealing. Rocks and sand are great to use in your foreground. Just get down low to the ground to have it fill part of your frame (careful not to get sand in your camera). Tree branches and leaves add great layers, especially in the fall when you have gorgeous colors! Look for interesting landscapes, trees, buildings and wall murals for your background layer. A beautiful sky in itself makes for a wonderful background. A fence works great for a foreground or background. When layering indoors try blankets, curtains, furniture, books. I’m sure most of us have toys hanging around the house, use them. You can also use people for layers. Just have one at the foreground of your image and another in the middle ground. Where you focus is up to you because it’s your story to tell through your lens!
I hope you enjoyed reading my thoughts on layering, and that some of it inspires you to try layering more in your photos if you’re not doing so already. I’m looking forward to seeing all your gorgeous photos! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Go grab that camera and start shooting in layers!