I am actually really excited about this topic and I’m excited to share about it! There are times during a portrait session or wedding that you may notice me get extra amped and that will usually happen when I’m using foregrounds! I tend to freak out a little over foregrounds and for good reason.

What are foregrounds?

If you aren’t sure what foregrounds are, it’s something that is in between my camera and my subject. It is usually something I strategically place in front of my camera on purpose to soften or add interest to an image. I typically call this the “creeper in the bushes” shot because I will literally be creeping through bushes or low hanging tree branches! Foregrounds will be blurry and out of focus in comparison to the people or person I’m shooting. Foregrounds can be added to any edge whether it’s the side, bottom, or coming down from the top of an image. I absolutely LOVE the look that a foreground can give! It can truly add so much to what would otherwise be an ok photo. Foregrounds take it to the next level!

What I use as a foreground

Just about anything can be used to create a foreground. The trick though, for me, is to use what fits in with my style. If you’ve been following me for a while or just glanced at my work you’d see that I tend to lean more light and airy with pops of true to life color. So I wouldn’t use something that’s dark and heavy in the foreground of any of my images. I typically look for things like plants, trees, flowers, that have a similar color to what I’m shooting. It’s important that the colors compliment my clients and the overall look of their session. Foregrounds aren’t always possible in a session, depending on where we shoot and what we have to work with. But when it’s possible I LOVE taking a few foreground shots!

Wedding day foregrounds

One of the best and my FAVORITE foregrounds to create on your wedding day is by using your veil! If you choose to wear a veil and it’s long enough, we can create some extra special MAGIC with it! Not to mention also having a wide swooping veil shot is always a must on your wedding day! Take a look at some of the different kinds of foreground shots below. Notice how they soften the images and not only add visual interest but some pops of color and add to the story of the location!

If you love seeing all these beautiful foregrounds and why I love using them, you might also like this post about why I love that my clients trust me!

https://joniloraine.me/2020/09/22/why-i-love-that-my-clients-trust-me-for-portrait-locations/