Altering Perspective To Create More Interesting Photos
Posted on 25. Nov, 2008 by Terry Reinert in Photography
In some cases there is a huge difference between an interesting image and a boring image. Other times there is a very fine line between the two. If you have ever gone on a photo walk then you probably know first hand exactly what I mean. You can have two photographers shoot the exact same subject from the exact same position and yet one photographers image is really great and the other one falls short in every category. Is it difference between the camera or the lens that the two photographers are using that causes this? In almost every case the answer is no. It is a matter of perspective.
Canon 5D, ISO100, 1/160sec @ f/4.0, 28mm
There are many different definitions for the word perspective but as photographers we only need to become familiar with two of them…
Definition 1: The way in which objects appear to the eye based on their spatial attributes, or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects.
Definition 2: The choice of a context or a reference (or the result of this choice) from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience, cohesively forming a coherent belief, typically for comparing with another.
The first definition deals with perspective in regards to the physical nature of subjects and how they appear in our images based on the position of the camera, focal length, aperture, and so on. The second definition deals with perspective in regards to how the human mind is going to process the image. This side of perception is very subjective since it is never the same for each individual person due to many factors relating to personal taste which itself is based on even more diverse factors.
Canon 5D, ISO1600, 5 sec @ f/4.0
So the question that many people are wondering about (at least I hope you are or I have done a lousy job at attracting your interest) is how can photographers make their images more interesting using concepts relating to the two definitions of perspective above. The answer to that question is actually quite simple and it is something we all know how to do… play. That’s right… just play. There have been many times when I have said that I “play photographer” instead of “I am a photographer”. Playing photographer makes the job sound a whole lot more fun, doesn’t it?
Canon 5D, ISO100, Forgot The Rest
Now by play I do not mean to play a good game of Paper, Rock, Scissors, Lizard, Spock (whoever gets that joke wins a cookie) with your subject. What I mean is to approach each shot as if there are no rules or stipulations in place. You can do anything you want; shoot from any position at whatever angle you want and with any camera settings you want. Try something that has never been done before or at least something you have never done before. Remember the saying from my Finding Inspiration and Creativity post, “Pixels Are Free”. If you try something that doesn’t work then come up with a way to fix whatever you don’t like about it and try again. You can always delete a failed attempt. Now if you are shooting for a customer then you may have some rules and stipulations involved (things they are looking for based on the second definition) but feel free to push the boundaries a little and see what you can come up with. Who knows, maybe you will get something close to what they wanted but with a little personal twist and your customer will love it.
By now you can probably guess that the only thing we can do in regards to the second definition of perspective to make our images more interesting is to keep in mind the target audience when shooting. If you are shooting on assignment then you have to keep in mind your employers or customers desires as well as the kinds of perspectives they have in regards to their taste. If you are just shooting for you then you really don’t have to worry about this much because you will make your perspective judgment as soon as you see the image pop up on the LCD screen after you take the shot.
Canon 20D, ISO100, Forgot The Rest
The good news is that we can really play with perspective in regards to the first definition. That definition is all about physics… changing how the photons hit the sensor. It is just like moving your eyes around; change how the photons are hitting it and the scene changes. Additionally, we can play with exposure levels, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, and so forth to change the perspective as well. This is kind of a hybrid of the first definition.
So here are some examples of tweaking your perspective to create a more interesting image…
- Tilt the camera slightly off the horizon. Reference the photos in this post as many of them are taken with the camera tilted off the horizon. The degree of tilt is completely up to you. Pixels are free so go ahead and shoot 10 photos of the same subject at different degrees of tilt and see which you like best.
- As I said before, play with the shutter speed and aperture settings. The photo included above of the moon was taken when Robert Vanelli, Thom Clarke, and I were out on the beach. They were both taking fast shots to really grab the detail in the moon to the point that you can see individual craters when you zoom in. So I took a different approach… I took some really long exposure shots to make the scene almost look like daylight but without the really harsh light you get from direct sunlight. The point is, there is no right or wrong so enjoy the freedom of creating your art how you like it!
- Portray the subject in ways that are not usually seen. Reference the photo of Angela above (the girl sitting on the log). Unless you are an ant or have a severe growth defect you probably do not see humans from this angle. Taken from a normal angle this photo may not have all that much interest to it. Taken from the angle that it was makes it interesting; it is outside of the norm so it attracts interest. People may decide that they really do not like it after looking at it for awhile but the fact of the matter is that their interest was initially caught and held for a short time due to the out-of-the-norm perspective. Just grabbing that initial attention is one of the keys to advertising.
- Put your subject in an environment that is a contrast to the subject itself. Reference the photo of Aubrey standing out on the rocks in the ocean above. She is an eight time Tae Kwon Do world champion. She is in perfect shape and her muscles are toned to perfection. A very hard and sharp subject. So I put her in the ocean as a contrast since water is seen as a soft object. I dragged the shutter just a bit to create the softness of the water flowing over the rocks. Now image this same shot of her but inside of a karate studio or gym… boring! This contrast of subject to environment makes the photo interesting.
- Use shadows to your advantage! Reference the photo of Lorien above. This was taken without a flash using nothing more than the sunlight coming through a window. The transition of the lighting really increases the interesting points of this image.
Got any other tips to increase the overall interest of a photo by using techniques that tweak perspective? Drop them in a comment to share with everyone else!
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