Tips for Better Photographs - Part 2

Perspective

As I mentioned yesterday, today's topic is perspective. With every photograph you take, you are telling a story, whether by composition, ambiance, lighting, perspective or any number of elements. By using perspective, you can take an ordinary subject and add dimension to your story. Here are some examples...

Here's my 13-year-old nephew to whom I introduced you yesterday...

He happens to be 6'1", with super-long legs, and when I first glanced over at him, he was staring off into space. I pointed my camera in his direction, then realized I could highlight his height by taking his photo from down low. To get low enough, I actually laid down on the cement. He kept looking at me and laughing, and it was difficult to get him to regain that far-away look he had, but after he got over the fact that I was prone on the cement in from of him, he relaxed and I got the shot I wanted. His length and legginess is definitely focused on in this photo.

The next photo is of an important tree at our campground...

This is called the swinging tree, because attached to it is a rope from which one can swing out over the pond and back. Yes, this photo is taken on the diagonal for two reasons. First, from where I was standing, the tree didn't fit in my view finder any other way, and second, I sometimes just like photos on the diagonal. My mother asked why she had to look at the tree leaning over, and was quite annoyed by the whole thing. I guess not everyone likes photos on the diagonal.

So my point about this tree is that it is really, really huge. But you can't really tell that from the photo... unless...

...you have your 10-year-old boy stand next to it, then take the shot. You can barely see him standing next to the tree because he is so dwarfed by the sheer mass of it, but it's a great example of trying to find some way to show size and scale.

The final example is a photo of an unbroken horse I came across...

Yes, I'm the horse whisperer. This appaloosa came right up to me as I held out my hand to her. I was amazed, and wanted to show how close I was, and what a large animal she is, so I squatted down a little in front of her to try to portray how it felt to be in the presence of this large animal. However, she didn't seem to like the sound of my shutter opening and closing, so after a few shots, she turned her head and would not look back at me...

Finally, after a few attempts at coaxing her back, she ran off...

So how do you show perspective in your photography? I would really like to know.

Thanks for listening.


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