Project 7: figures in a landscape

In this project I have tried to ensure that the landscape remains the dominant part of the image but I have added small figures in such a way that, hopefully, they enhance the image. In each case I have placed the figure to one side of the shot and if possible on an intersection of thirds.

In this first image above, I visited a local area of parkland on a foggy morning after the snow looking for some images to portray winter. I was fortunate that there were a few people present and took the opportunity to capture this image of the foggy scene but included a parent and child on a sledge. I feel that this really works and gives a sense of scale to the picture and is an excellent focal point. Although a small part of the image the adult is looking into the picture.

In the two pictures above I took one without a figure to see if there was a difference. I placed the figure in the first shot roughly on an intersecting third and also she is looking into the picture at the remains of the old jetty. I think that gives a sense of scale to the pilings and also to the Humber Bridge in the background.

Again these two images show one with and one without a figure. I was out walking with my brother fairly recently in the Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca. I took a shot of the pinnacle without a figure and then asked my brother to scramble up onto it. He is extremely small in the shot but I have carefully framed it so that he is on an intersection of thirds and also so that he can be seen clearly against the sea visible through the dip in the hills. I really feel that placing a figure here has worked and gives a sense of scale to the picture. A definite improvement on the shot without the figure.
Another shot from the recent trip to Mallorca, here on the Formentor Beach. I wanted the shot looking down the beach through the two trees but my wife fortuitously walked into the frame. Again it adds a point of focus and human interest but I am not sure that the figure doesn't take the eye away from the view. Perhaps more of a portrait.

Again anther picture from high in the Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca. I asked my brother to look into the view and placed him on the edge of the frame. Hopefully in this case he adds a sense of perspective and adds human interest to the scene.

In conclusion, whilst I usually try to avoid people in my landscape shots it can add a sense of scale and human interest. Pictures such as this would be of interest to outdoor and other interest magazines where they need another subject in the landscape, whether it be a walker, mountain bike or other such. I have recently been fortunate enough to have a series of photographs published in Landrover Owner International magazine following a vintage landrover trip to Morocco and the Sahara. In each case they needed either people or the landrovers to be in the picture even if a small part of the landscape.