Photographer: Mike Yoder

Camera: Nikon D1H

Lens (mm): approximately 26mm

ISO: 640

Aperture: 5.6

Shutter: 1/50

One technique that can help make photographs more interesting is incorporating foreground elements to add depth, scale and framing to a subject.

On an assignment to photograph the co-owners of Amazing Grains Bakery, I had a hard time capturing an interesting photo of the owners as they moved about the shop cleaning. The background was somewhat cluttered, and the tasks the women were working on were visually uninteresting.

But when I spotted the large commercial mixing blades sitting on a countertop, I knew I could use them for a more creative image. I adjusted my light and then framed my camera to keep the blades on the left and right side of the picture and as close to my lens as possible. Then I waited while Michele Stearns made trips to and from the table, sorting baking ingredients.

During editing, I picked the frame where Stearns was best centered between the blades and was reaching out with her arm. While the aperture of f5.6 gave me some extra depth-of–field on my focus, the slower shutter speed resulted in some motion blur of Stearns’ left hand and a jar of ingredients.