Visual depth and scale
The visual depth of an image refers to how far into the scene you can identify objects. As you probably know, the related term depth of field refers to the distance range from the camera that renders with an acceptable focus. Thus, a narrow depth of field will create a narrow visual depth. However, there are other ways to create a narrow visual depth, and using the maximal depth of field will obviously give a large visual depth, but not necessarily guarantee a good composition.
Two dimensions
Pictures utilizing a two-dimensional composition obviously have near-zero visual depth. These photos are typically best shot with an aperture in the middle of your lens’ range to avoid lens distortion. The beauty of two-dimensional photos typically stems from a carefully composed interplay between colors, patterns, shapes, and negative space.
Consciously used compositional tools:
- Color contrast — red versus green.
- Transitional symmetry — the green part forms a repeating pattern.
- Negative space — the large red area and the contrasting green is negative space.
Improvements:
- A focal point in the green area would improve the balance. The number 21 was written in white a couple of meters further to the right.
