R.G. Loc: Scotland

Exactly. The ideal answer - a multi-functional foreground. I think it was two or three years ago I came to the conclusion that in most cases, just about anything in the foreground (short of a glaring distraction) is better than an empty foreground. Attention directors are the ideal option.

For the meaning of "channel" my dictionary has "the course in which anything moves; a direction". That sounds suitably flexible . In this case the thing moving would be our attention. Yep, that works for me .

Thanks for your comments and posted examples.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

Beautiful set.

tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

Here's a pano I stitched together of Flathead Lake, Montana in the later evening. Got the channel from the land and the leading line of the pier. Admittedly, there is some perspective warp from the number of shots I used, but by and large I kind of like the way you are pointed to the sunset on the left side. Comments / critiques most welcome - I'm always willing to learn... ;-)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Thanks for posting, Tommy. I can see your dilemma with this shot. The eye's destination is the bright part of the sky on the left, but the pier points to the right of it, leading the eye more towards the hills. The up side is that the whole scene is pleasant and the viewer will be quite happy to have a wander before gravitating towards the bright horizon. Another problem is that the shoreline is so wide it comes closer to being a framing element rather than providing a channel, and you can say the same thing about the trees at the edges of the frame. But I would say that the clear, bright area of open water does direct our attention in the right direction and can therefore be classified as a "channel".

The problem is the viewer can't use that channel and the leading line of the pier at the same time because they lead in slightly different directions, and I can't see how you could have resolved that issue. But that doesn't mean that the shot isn't viable. As a whole it's still an attractive scene with a pleasing destination for the eye. And it's not the first shot that gives the viewer a choice of directions and different paths through the scene.

tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

Thanks for the input, RG! I appreciate your insight and constructive thoughts. I especially take note of your observation that the foreground land acts as more of a framing than a channel device. I didn't see that before, but now I can consider the construction of a similar scene with that thought in mind. Thanks again, and happy shooting!

tommystrat Loc: Bigfork, Montana

Here's an obvious channel, right? ;-) A whimsical image... and I bet you can guess the name...

R.G. Loc: Scotland

"Uri Geller passed this way"? . (OK, not what you had in mind.... ).

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Very clever!

R.G. Loc: Scotland

A late addition that combines leading lines and a clear channel. The clear channel serves the same purpose as the leading lines - which is to draw the viewer's attention into the shot - and by doing so, it adds to the sense of depth. That is the case even though the area that they lead to is not particularly attention-grabbing on its own.
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