How to create more impact in your photos

black and white architectural photo witht the sunlight from the left

Introduction

When you grab your camera and take a picture of a particular scene, this is probably because of the subject that drew your attention. In some cases, it might have been a building, a rock, or a tree. But it can also be a feeling when you see the light in a scene and how this “works” with your subject.

Usually, one needs a subject that is the main object of the photograph. When I talk about creating impact, I mean the techniques that could help you enhance the subject and attract even more of the viewer’s attention as a photographer. Some of these techniques already start when taking the picture, and when you consider the composition of the scene, some of the methods will be used in post-processing to enhance what you felt or saw in the field. I will guide you through some of these techniques in this blog. These techniques will work in colour and black-and-white photography

It’s relatively easy to master the basics of the camera, but those aren’t what make our photographs more compelling or captivating. Of course, we all want a decently sharp photo with the correct exposure. But it’s not buttons and dials that make images that cause your viewers to react.

What people react to within a photograph are things like the decisions we make about what goes where, which moments we choose, and how the elements within a scene relate to each other. In other words: composition and emotion.

Why would you want to create more impact?

A beautiful landscape and a good and expensive camera do not automatically mean a good photograph. Making a good photo seems like an art, but making a good composition is a gift one can develop. A few tricks can get you started and take pictures with more impact, but rest assured, it all starts with a good composition.

When you can attract the eye of the viewer to your subject, the photo will probably be much more appreciated. Have a look at the following two photographs:

poor landscape photo without impact — sea stack with birds

Tools and techniques to create impact

1. Removing distractions

We should remove any element or feature that distracts from the central theme. To achieve that, we can use several techniques either during shooting or later while processing the image.

Composition

Study the scene and choose the best point of view to separate the main subject from other elements in the frame. Finding the right spot may be simply a matter of spending a few minutes walking around the location. Look at your landscape from all possible viewpoints, move left, right, up, or down and try using different elements in the foreground. Take a few test shots, if necessary, until you are happy with your angle and frame.

Minimal photo of landing heron and its reflection — In this landscape photo of a landing heron, I used the rule of thirds in combination with much negative space (the water of the lake) to bring all attention to the bird and his reflection, leaving out of sight lots of branches and debris. Because here was no wind, there were no ripples in the water. The subtlety of the colour also contributes to the simplicity and tranquillity of the image (Guy, 2018).

Technique.

Especially long exposure is beneficial in removing details from the sky or the water, as is the case with the following image.

minimal black and white lang exposure photo of a jetty — *The misty conditions, in combination with an extended exposure technique, remove all distractions in this black-and-white landscape photo.*

Editing.

Hiding distracting elements during editing can be achieved either by removing them physically or by blending those elements with the background.

2. Contrast and Luminance.

You probably know that the brighter areas in a photo always draw the eye of the viewer. Zones of heavy contrast do the same. This fact also means we can influence the viewer to look at a particular photo zone by creating a tonal difference (luminance) between the subject and the background.

black and white long exposure minimal landscape photo of a pier in Westkapelle — *The area around the horizon is the brighter area of the frame, and I have reinforced the effect by additionally darkening the pier and brightening the immediate background, creating strong contrast.*
*(Guy, 2019)*

Defining the edges.

What I mean here is that by increasing the contrast between the edges of the subject and its background, we can improve the impact in the frame. You can do this in 2 ways: by differentiating the luminance or by introducing other types of contrast – colour contrast, sharp/soft, etc., depending on the photo.

Architectural black and white photo of a skyscraper in Liege, Belgium — *In this photo, note how I have slightly darkened the edges of the building and brightened the sky around it, increasing the contrast and separating it from the background. (Guy, 2021)*

Enhancing the subject of the photo

One can use different shooting or processing techniques to increase the visual impact of the main subject in the photo.

I am creating texture.

Texture refers to differences in tonality. One way to increase the texture of a subject is to use different tools during post-processing. Another way is to use the proper light when taking the picture. When the light strikes a subject from aside, the texture or relief of a subject, a building or a landscape will become more visible and apparent.

Black and white architectural photo of a facade of an office building in Pristina Kosovo — Note how the light of the setting sun, being low on the horizon on the left side, creates more substantial texture on the facade of this modern building in Pristina, Kosovo, revealing the details of the structures through alternations of shadows with brighter areas, thus increasing their significance in the frame. (Guy, 2022)

Creating highlights and contrast

By creating solid highlights and contrast areas on the surface of our subject, you will increase its presence and draw the eye to areas of stronger contrast.

black and white architectural photo of the facade of the Titanic Museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland — *I have turned this photo of the facade of the Titanic Museum in Belfast into black and white and increased the contrast considerably so that the light plays with shadows and bright spots (Guy, 2019)*

3. Lead the eye of the viewer

Besides brighter areas of tonal differences, more techniques will lead the eye of the viewer to the subject to accentuate it. This can be, for example, vignetting, internal frame, and leading lines.

Vignetting

Vignettes can be used in different ways, but usually, one will reduce the image’s brightness at its edges compared to its centre. This will give you an image that is clear in the centre and fades out at the edges. However, you often see the opposite, with whiter or lighter edges in historical portraits.

black and white extended exposure photo of a shipwreck in Northern France — In this photo of the shipwreck that I found on the Opal Coast in the North of France, I used a long exposure to start and simplify the picture. In post-processing, I turned it into black and white and added a dark vignette to add impact. (Guy, 2022)

Internal Framing

“Framing” with, for example, trees, bridges, arches, gates, etc., creates a “see-through effect” that can help draw attention to the focal point of your landscape image. This is also a perfect way to create impressive photos. It also helps to place the picture in a particular context, as it tells that the image is part of, for example, a historical context, natural environment, etc. In addition, the additional depth gives and, like introductory lines, guides the eye to the main focus point.

The edges or frames around the photo will determine what will or will not fit and how the elements in the frame relate to each other.

black and white photo at Vroenhoven Bridge, Belgium, with frame in a frame — *In this black and white photo under the Bridge of Vroenhoven, Belgium, we have at the same time a frame in concrete and leading lines in the steps (Guy, 2018).*

Leading lines.

The best-known way to draw the eye is by using leading lines. Leading lines will help you to obtain more powerful and dynamic images. The lead-in lines you can find in several landscapes will lead the eye to the point of interest and add to the perspective. These lead-in lines can be streams, paths, rocks, hedges, and darker pave stones, shadow lines, etc. The lead-in lines can go straight to the point of focus or meander in an S-shape like a snake. In my opinion, this will work best when working with a longer lens to compress the image.

landscape photo of a road with an S-shaped leading line towards Cook Mountain — *In the following image, the strong lines of road and road signs lead the eyes toward the fierce snow-covered mountain behind the azure lake. (Guy, 2017)*

Conclusion

A successful picture that makes an impact will only develop when you make the subject exciting and draw your viewer’s eye to it.

I hope that this article will inspire you to experiment with different methods. I am convinced that when you add these techniques to your workflow, your images will start to make more impact and get noticed.

I also invite you to browse through the texts of my other blogs to find even more inspiration or detail.

Guy Lambrechts - The Landscape Photo Guy I am Guy Lambrechts, a Belgian landscape, nature and architecture photographer. Combining my desire to travel, being in nature and love for photography, I visit known and unknown destinations around our beautiful planet. I feel happy while out camping, hiking or simply strolling along my neighbourhood with my camera and gear at hand. I am inspired by the light, shapes and lines in the quiet beauty of the landscape or the complex cityscapes. Through my photographs, I like to convey serenity, elegance, mood, calmness and beauty. Rolling landscapes, desolate beaches, splashing streams, waterfalls, impressive trees and nature are therefore my favourite subjects.