Different Perspectives
People view the world horizontally from eye level, which for most adults is about 160 cm, or just over 5 feet. So to take horizontal pictures from this elevation offers the viewer nothing new – nothing they can’t see for themselves. However, if we were to change the angle of the camera, or change the elevation, then you force the viewer to see things from an unusual and unfamiliar perspective thus creating a curiosity.
Changing the Angle
Changing the angle of the camera is perhaps the easier and quickest way to create a new effect. It doesn’t have to be much – 5 or 10 degrees is ample to change a picture’s appeal. The only thing to watch out for is, which way to tilt the camera. Since I take a lot of pictures of cars on the track, I find the best angle is to have the car heading upwards. Heading downwards is less appealing.
A word of caution – be careful about tilting the camera when taking pictures of people. Sometimes it can work and sometimes not. When in doubt – take pictures from various angles including the horizontal.
Lowering the Camera Position
The next simple change is to lower the camera. I like to get down to ground level. The trick here is to tilt the camera up slightly so the bottom of the image is just below the natural horizon. Since people do not go though life crawling on their bellies, this is an unusual angle and it will stir their curiosity. The picture here was taken at ground level blind – meaning I did not use the viewfinder. It was the second picture of two. In the first attemp, the camera was not tilted sufficiently upward.
Elevating the Camera Position
JaguarThe third option is to move the camera up. Here you have to be careful. Don’t stand on flimsy boxes or chairs because when you look through the camera viewfinder you lose sight of your surrounding and can easily lose balance. I use a small two stepped ladder (when I remember to bring it a long). The two foot change in elevation makes quite a difference to the picture. For instance, the picture of the Jaguar was taken with the camera about 2.25 meters off the ground or about 7.5 feet. An advantage of shooting from this angle is – a lot of otherwise busy background can be naturally eliminated.
You can take it even further. When photographing people individually or in a group, the picture can be made much more interesting when it is shot from, say, a second floor window. These pictures will be far more fascinating than the standard head-on group shot taken from eye level.
If there is nothing to stand on to get a high angle, try holding the camera up at arms length. Of course you will not be able to see through the viewfinder but with a little practice, you will soon be able to get the right angle. News photographers use this method to shoot over a crowd, but the results from this high angle can also add to the drama.