05 BACK to front
Start with the biggest thing first: find your background, then look for the rest
It is often the simplest ideas that help the most, and one of the ideas that I always use in my own shooting is thinking in terms of background and foreground.
The idea is simple. Find a great background first, and then find a great foreground to go with it. A great background is anything that has a good focal point and a dramatic look. A great mountain range like the Grand Tetons is a good example. After you have located your background, start looking for a foreground that works well with it. A foreground can be anything that looks interesting and preferably leads the eye into the scene. Flowers, reflected ponds, logs, old buildings, rock formations or anything that catches your eye all make good foregrounds.
Although this idea is very simple, it really gives me a sense of what I am looking for, and helps to start setting up the overall design of an image. The way these two elements are arranged and placed within the frame helps define how effective the image is and effects eye movement, simplicity, balance and point of interest – all ideas that we will discuss next.