Last week we talked about shooting in the woods.  A great topic to shoot in forests is footpaths.  They form good lead in lines and gives you a center point of focus.  As with all landscape photography finding a good foreground element is important as they add so much to an image.  They arrest the viewer's attention right away.  They give depth.  Once the viewer's eyes leave the foreground element they tend to wonder along your lead in lines (up into your image); which is exactly what you want.  What happens when your viewer is done moving through the image?  If you do not have a great foreground element the viewer will most likely be done watching your image.  If however, you have a strong foreground element the viewer's eyes tend to come back to that element and starts the journey through the picture all over again.  This helps the image to capture the viewer's attention for longer.  The longer a viewer watches your image the better the image.  Time spent with your image creates a bond between the viewer and the image; thus increasing your chances of a sale.

Here is an example of a strong foreground element:

Close your eye for a few seconds.  Now before you open them again be conscious of and make a note of how your eyes move through this image.  Okay, where did your eyes go?  This rock in the foreground has huge pull to get you back and to start over.  Remember, landscape photography is not just about the great scene in front of you.  Search for good foreground elements to place in your landscapes and you will have much stronger images.

Happy looking for foreground elements.