Ever come home from a trip, scroll through your photos, and think: Huh… these look more like postcards than the magic I remember seeing? Don’t worry, you’re not broken — your photos are just missing depth. The secret? Build your shots in layers.
Now we aren’t talking about Photoshop layers, although when it does come to Photoshop I also strongly recommend building with layers. No, these layers sections, or regions of your photograph. Foreground, middle ground, background. Layers.
The Problem: Flat as a Pancake
Without depth, your photo looks like a single sheet of paper — no sense of distance, no invitation to step into the scene. Just… flat. Like your uncle’s 1973 vacation slides that everyone politely yawned through after dinner.
The Solution: Stack Your Scene
Look at your viewfinder and break the scene into three zones: foreground, middle ground, background.
- Foreground pulls the viewer in (a rock, a dune, a puddle).
- Middle ground gives them somewhere to stand (a wave, a tree, a path).
- Background ties it together (sunrise, mountains, horizon).
When you consciously build in layers, your photo stops being a postcard and starts being an experience.
Pro Tip Alert!
Behind the Shot
So many scenes lend themselves to shooting in layers! Try it out yourself, just look around your room. What do you see? Say their names out loud, pick the characters that you want in your movie. Arrange them in the scene, build relationships between them! Vertical shooting and creating layers in your images will significantly in prove your photography!
Get the Gear: What I Use
I am a huge fan of graduated neutral density filters to help take my skies, and neutral density filters to darken the entire frame, helping me create my long exposures!
Pro Tip Alert!
You don’t have to stop at just 3 layers. You can have several foregrounds, several middle grounds, and many objects making up background layers.
Try It Yourself
Next time you’re out shooting, don’t just point at the horizon. Hunt for a foreground object — a log, footprints in the sand, even a tidepool. Layer that with your middle and background, and suddenly you’ve got a story in three acts.
Discover the Depth
Layers turn a flat image into an immersive experience. Add a print of one of my layered landscapes to your wall and feel the depth every time you glance at it—your space becomes a window into another world.
Dive deeper into the lessons and stories with my fine art photography books
Learn hands-on techniques in my photography workshops—practical, fun, and inspiring.
Bring peace, beauty, and storytelling into your space with fine art prints.
Get Layers – Bonus Challenge
Look for a scene with distinct foreground, middle ground, and background elements. Take three shots, adjusting your depth of field to highlight different layers. See how layering creates depth and draws your viewer into the scene.
