Recently I was in Monument Valley teaching a photo workshop. Monument Valley is in the heart of the Navajo Nation, and a very special place. We focused on landscapes, portraits and night shots. Great group, lots of fun, and incredible photography. We did a special trip up to Hunts Mesa for the big overview image. Imagine driving about three miles, but it takes you two hours to do it! This is a drive folks are sure not to forget.
On Hunts Mesa, and many other locations in Monument Valley, the concept of forced perspective often comes into play. Forced perspective refers to an optical illusion of making objects smaller, larger, closer or far away in an image. In Monument Valley this concept played out in deciding the relationship between foreground and background. Decisions made at the camera dramatically changed the tension and power of the final image.
Here is the first example, the image at top. I found a piece of wood on the canyon rim and wanted to blend the old weathered wood with the dramatic valley in the background. In order for the wood not to become overshadowed and lost in the image, I got closer and closer until the wood took up almost the entire lower half of the frame. By getting close, using a 14mm lens, I was able to make the wood appear much bigger than it really was using the concept of forced perspective. If I had shot the image 5 feet away the wood would have become inconsequential to the dramatic scene behind it.
Here is another example using forced perspective. I really wanted the flowers to be a big part of this image, so I shot at about 20mm and moved close. I like the balance between flowers, vegetation and the canyon country in the background. I could have gotten closer to the flowers, but this would have diminished the size of the sandstone formations. The relationship between foreground and background creates the tension and balance in the final image. I did a three frame focus stack to ensure clarity throughout the image.
One last example, the most ‘forced perspective’ of all. I really wanted this lichen to be as big as I could in the frame. You just don’t expect lichen to be so large, and this emphasizes the shapes and color. I shot at 14mm about a foot away to enlarge the foreground as much as possible, and focus stacked again for acuity.
Super wide angle lenses and forced perspective are a great way to approach the grand landscape. Scout your location and imagine small foreground elements enlarged to half frame size. Create tension and drama experimenting with the relationship of your foreground and background. Use your widest angle lenses for the best effect!