In a scenery photograph, or a picture of any subject matter on
more than one plane, we are representing three-dimensional space
in a two-dimensional image. In order to reproduce the feeling of
depth as we saw it in the original scene - depth perspective as
photo people call it - we need a strong foreground object. It
makes no difference what the foreground object is. It might be a
tree or a bush, a rock or a person, a child's toy or a puppy
dog, a car or a boat; it might be the subject of the photograph,
or anything that just happens to be there. The important thing
is, the closer the foreground, the greater the feeling of depth.
We sometimes take informal portraits, or photos of individual
subjects in which the background or foreground is incidental. If
nothing but the subject is sharp, that's okay; if everything is
in focus, that's fine too. But in scenery and landscape
photography, maximum sharpness is important in every part of the
scene, from the nearest object to the distant horizon. In order
to get max