Foreground, middleground, background…if you have been catching yourself scratching your head in confusion at what sets them apart, you’re not alone.
Though among the basic elements of composition, foreground, middle ground, and background may not be as intuitively easy to understand as you might expect them to be. This belies their usefulness greatly! From using distinct layers as framing elements to simply innovating on them to add depth to an image, foreground, middle ground, and background are really versatile.
Today, let’s take a closer look at all three elements and see how to best incorporate them into your work. Without further ado, let’s get right to it!
What Roles Do Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background Play in an Image?
The foreground, middle ground, and background elements of your photograph each have a unique role to play within the grander scheme of composition. Ultimately though, they all serve the same purpose, just in different ways. That is to divide your image into distinct layers, each filled with interesting, attention-grabbing objects.
The arrangement of these interesting objects results in different paths that make your viewer’s eye wander to and fro. Of course, the same applies to the arrangement of the three layers themselves!
Without these different elements or the separation between them, most photos would look quite barren and stale. So really, proper management of foreground and background, in addition to a solid middle ground, the balance is a key aspect of compositional technique. That holds true no matter what genre of photography you’re active in!
Now, let’s take a closer look at each of these three layers of composition and find out what makes them all so special.
The Foreground
Closest to the viewer’s eye, the foreground serves the obvious purpose of drawing an immediate first impression. In other words, it is there to ‘hook’ the observer into your frame.
Note that it is important to not make the foreground too busy. That could give the impression of the entire scene being muddled and confusing. Of course, this may be exactly the mood you’re going for…but otherwise, stay away from extremes!
In most conventional compositions, the foreground will populate the lower portion of your frame. This doesn’t have to mean that the objects closest to the bottom edge of your image also have to be the closest to the camera.
However, the nature of composing interesting objects in three-dimensional space does more often than not result in the classic arrangement of nearby objects in the bottom foreground. Consequently, a central middle ground and a background towards the top edge are also widespread.
The Middle Ground
Also spelled middleground (without spaces), this element usually occupies the bulk of the space within your image. Often, it serves the purpose of uniting and bridging the foreground and background visually and contextually.
To create cohesion between your layers, it helps to have the middle ground relate to the other two layers in some significant way. In the case of landscapes, this can once again come in the form of major geometric features. Think rivers, other bodies of water, valleys, or mountains, which may or may not extend into the background as well.
While your middle ground doesn’t have to occupy more space than your other two main layers, it often can. This is especially true if your main subject is positioned parallel to the viewer’s eye. In such a case, it makes sense to have the subject take front and center (literally!). At the same time, allocate some space surrounding it to the foreground and background to provide creative framing.
The Background
The background rounds out your image by providing a literal backdrop to the scene. It is usually located in the far back of your composition, near the topmost edge of the frame.
It is relatively common for your background to lack some detail compared to the foreground and middle ground elements. This is because it is located in the area that the viewer is least likely to latch onto immediately. In addition, the background tends to be farther away and physically less distinct.
In many outdoor photos, including most landscapes, the background might be comprised mostly of the sky. However, detailed backgrounds with a dimension of depth and texture are not at all unusual either. In architectural photography for instance, very detailed background layers are practically the norm!
Considerations of Photography Genres
As I already hinted at, the three layers of foreground, middle ground, and background may behave differently depending on the genre and style you’re working with. Therefore, let’s take a look at some specific examples of the use of those three distinct elements in varying branches of photography.
You can use these as inspiration for implementing your own vision in your work!
The Need for a Strong Foreground Element in Landscape Photography
Landscape photography benefits from a very powerful separation between the different layers of the frame. That helps lend a sense of dimension and three-dimensional space. This is important for the kind of scale and awe that vast natural landscapes often inspire.
The foreground plays a crucial role here. A strong background might communicate distance, expanse, and vastness. It can even be the main subject of the image – think of beautiful sunsets, dramatic cloud formations, or imposing mountains.
But a detailed, intriguing foreground layer can be even more significant as a key element, introducing your viewer’s eye to the scene and leading them into the world of your photo.
Consider how foliage, often slightly defocused, serves this purpose very often, including in the above image. Rocks, streams, flowers, and even wildlife are further examples of foreground elements that can serve as ‘gates’ to your viewer, encouraging a sense of depth and immersion.
The Foreground And Middle Ground in Wildlife Photography
Speaking of wildlife, you will also need to treat your foreground differently if your main subject belongs to that category.
It is not rare for wildlife photographers to present their subjects very close to the viewer in a manner that makes it easy to “reach out and touch” with your imagination.
Done right, this can blur the lines between foreground and middle ground, somewhat merging them into one. Especially in the case of wildlife portraits, this is not just a common creative technique but a highly versatile and effective one.
The Bouncing Eye in Street Photography
Used widely in landscape photography but especially well-known among candid street photographers, the ‘Bouncing Eye’ effect is the result of carefully combining foreground, middleground, and background layers to not just create depth, but movement.
By utilizing a rather large depth of field and making sure that all three layers are rich in detail, expressiveness, and action, your viewer’s gaze is prompted to dart around the frame for interesting objects. These can include one central subject or not, depending on your composition.
While your composition can end up too confusing for its own good by overuse of this technique, it also harbors the boundless potential for interesting compositions.
How to Create Depth Through Framing
A big part of what goes into creating interesting layers has to do with framing. That is to say, how exactly you arrange the frame of your picture geometrically affects how the viewer perceives it.
Let’s go over some of the foundational aspects of the techniques used to frame the foreground, middleground, background, and other elements in layers.
Leading Lines and How to Use Them
The concept behind leading lines is to use arrow-like framing devices to literally lead the viewer’s eye towards subjects of interest within the photograph.
Some of the most common leading lines include man-made features literally fashioned in the form of lines or paths. Think roads, railway tracks, or even unpaved trails!
These kinds of lines can cross over from the foreground all the way to the background, making them a very prominent aspect of your image. Of course, it doesn’t have to be that way, either – some leading lines can indeed be very subtle.
The Rule Of Thirds, Revisited
The rule of thirds never ceases to be relevant in all areas of our craft. It’s what every photography student has to internalize over the course of many hours peering into their camera’s viewfinder, and for a good reason!
Much of what makes distinct foreground, middleground, and background elements so paramount to proper composition has to do with the concept of horizontal and vertical lines.
In photography, what we see within our viewfinder can be broken down into geometric combinations of shapes. If you look closely, you will see that many of these can be traced as lines.
Where lines meet, points of interest develop for the viewer’s gaze. Often, this happens unintentionally, as a mere consequence of the arrangement of objects within the scene.
However, vertical and horizontal lines can be really powerful when employed consciously, too.
For example, consider drawing the viewer towards large, significant features such as arches or rooftops in architectural photography. An analog applicable to landscapes could be things like cliff faces, cloud patterns, and even tree lines.
These formations can serve as ‘bridges’ between multiple layers at once, crossing over from the foreground to the middle ground or vice versa, and even beyond. Because of that, these kinds of geometric lines serve as an excellent means to create a sense of dimension in your frame.
Always take this basic rule of thirds into account whilst composing. It could be your key to rendering distinct foreground, middle ground, and background elements!
Other Techniques to Add Foreground, Middleground, and Background Separation
If you really want to make your photos pop and create the most clear, convincing separation between your three elements of composition possible, try experimenting with some of the following technique ideas for good measure!
Selective Focus
By manipulating your focus distance manually, you can render single objects of interest partially in or out of focus. Try to work with the lens aperture to create a thin depth of field, visually isolating aspects of your image that are separated from each other by space in real life.
Done well, this can separate foreground and background layers extremely explicitly, leading to dramatic shots that linger in the mind’s eye for a long time.
Using Light and Shadow
Don’t discount the power of classic contrast, either! Especially when shooting outdoors, the harsh breaks between brightly lit subjects and moody background textures, or vice versa, can be really beneficial when you’re working with layers. Done right, you can create entire elements, including leading lines and even layers themselves, purely by toying with light!
This is not to say that the only harsh incident light is your friend. Soft contours and the interplay of subtle shadows can be equally as effective. In portraiture, you might try using light (or lack thereof) to your advantage to divert some attention away from a very central main subject, for example.
Just as outdoors, light and shadow may play equally as rich of a role in studio photography. Even better: thanks to the properties of the working area, you have much more freedom to manipulate the lighting as you see fit!
Making Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background Fit Together
As you’ve seen today, there are countless ways to play with your foreground, middle ground, and background layers in your photos. Combining these three elements takes some careful thinking and attention to creative composition, so it’s not something that just comes easily to a lot of photographers.
However, with due practice, I am sure that you can master your layer work and capture stunning, moving photos using some of the ideas and techniques I laid out in this guide.
Good luck, and have fun shooting!
