As beautiful a scene may be, it is important to consider having people or a person in the shot. It elevates the images from being good to great.
There are several good reasons to have people in the shot. In this post, I will cover 3 main reasons why you should consider having people in the photos. And why its good for you.
#1 – People provide scale
Sense of scale!! It’s very important to appreciate the true magnificence of a landscape, a waterfall or a mountain.
Without it, you would likely see a nice landscape but you will miss that wow factor. Having a person provides a reference scale for the viewer which enables them to relate and understand how big something is.
Check out the images below and you will see what I mean. Without the person in the shot you feel that its a big waterfall but with the person there, you can get a true sense of scale.
Having people in a shot can give you a sense of movement. You can come to see that something was happening or moving when the picture was taken.
Take the images as an example below. You can tell that the women is crossing the road and going somewhere. You can see the doorman waiting and watching the people walking by.
You can see the bicycle rider, riding away into the mountains. All of these shots create a sense of motion and add to the story telling part of photography. Which takes us to the third reason.
#2 – People create Sense of Motion
#3 – People tell a Story
Intriguing photographs will tell a story and will make you think or wonder what’s going on in the photo.
If you capture interesting characters, moods or things happening in the photograph it will get the viewer curious and think what’s going on here. It will let their imagination run wild as to what their interpretation of the shot is.
Storytelling is a very important!!
If your photo doesn’t tell a story then its just an ordinary photo but if it tells an interesting story then it makes it great.
Images below are a prime example of this. They make you wonder or imagine as to what “could” be going on at the time the photograph was taken.
Images courtesy of Unsplash.com
Conclusion
So now that you have seen three different ways you can create greater impact in your photographs by ensuring some human element is present in the scene.
You can add: sense of scale, sense of movement and tell an intriguing story.
I hope this post helps you advance your photography and take it to the next level. If you like this post, don’t forget to rate and share with your friends.