Weekend Photo Tips: Perspective

Perspective can't be helped by menus in the back of your camera, but it has everything to do with you! Even though a lot of people are intimidated by perspective, it really is a simple concept to learn. 

To begin with, there are two parts to perspective:  camera position and focal length. 

The first part is all about where the camera is set.  For example, most people are used to
seeing at eye level.  If a photograph is taken at eye level, it may not catch the viewer's eye

and would look like just another photo to them.  But, what if the camera is set in an odd position?  The view might look different from what they are used to seeing and catch their attention.  

That is the outcome that photographers are looking for! 

 Let's say that I think a certain tree looks like it would make a great picture.  

If I am not using perspective correctly, I might take the photograph at eye level.

More than likely, I would be disappointed with the result.  But what if you got down to ground level
at the base of the tree and shot up the trunk to go for an unusual angle? 
Or, if I really want to go for a different take, I might climb the tree and shoot from there.
That vantage point could also catch the eye of the viewer!
 

 

 

Eye level

 

 

 



 

10ft up the tree looking down

 

 





 

At the base looking up

 

 

 

I think most of us would agree that the photo taken at eye level looks pretty average.

The shot taken from up top of the tree after a good climb took more effort

but isn't that much more interesting.

But most viewers would probably say that the last shot from the base is the best of the three.

Notice that this perspective lends a sense of towering majesty to the subject.

 

This is a good example of what Timothy Allen once said: 

“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the

ones that were hardest to get."

 

That said, the best perspective might just come by standing in waste high water

for that amazing landscape, or climbing a colossal tree to get a photo angle like the one above,

or taking a 10 mile hike to get round a lake for that scenic shot. 

Just think about why you are going to do something before you go for it! 

 

And finally, a brief but important note about the second part of perspective: focal length.

Focal length is a factor that will determine perspective between subject and background. 

Say that I was to take a portrait, and I was asked to frame the shot from waist up.

A first photo is taken at 35mm, then a second at 200mm.  Both shots are framed equally.

In the photo at 200mm, the background would appear closer to the subject even though

both of the pictures were both framed the same.  This is referred to as compressing perspective.  Alternately, at 35mm the background would appear further from the subject

and there would be more background in the shot.  

 

So as you can see, perspective is affected by both camera position and focal length.

To read more on focal length, take a look at my post, 

"What Is Focal Length?" 

http://splashofphotographyblog.blogspot.com/2014/02/weekend-photo-tips-what-is-focal-length.html

 

Thanks for reading Weekend Photo Tips  

Come back next Friday for more!

 

 

 

 

Weekend Photo Tips: Some Abstract Ideas

Have you ever thought about giving abstract photography a go? I would encourage you to try it out.  

Abstract photography can be a lot of fun because breaking the rules of photography is ok! 
For example, you have most likely been told that you have to use a fast shutter speed
or you will get camera shake. That is true, but in abstract photography one of the most
popular techniques involves using a longer shutter speed.  Below are some examples of abstract photography. After each photo I will tell you how the shot was taken. 



This is actually a photo of kitchen blinds! I positioned the camera on a tripod, under-exposed
the background, and then focused as close as possible with the widest f-stop I could use.

For this shot I used a technique called the zoom blur.
That means I used a shutter speed of 1/2s, 1/4s, or 1/8s.  While the shutter was open,
I zoomed the lens. After that I opened this photo in an editing program called gimp
and added a lot of red tint to it.

I could tell you how I did this, but then again,
I think I'll let Mike Browne and his friend demonstrate this unusual technique!   
Here is the link to his YouTube video: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ5SH_vK7U8

Again, I encourage you try out abstract photography.  It really is a great way
to take photos on a rainy day because most of these creative ideas can be done indoors!

The best way to get good at abstract photography is to experiment.

Thanks for reading Weekend Photo Tips! Come back next Friday for more!

And remember...
“It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best

 pictures were the ones that were hardest to get."   – Timothy Allen - On editing photos



Weekend Photo Tips: What Is Focal Length?

Focal length is a very important part of photography.
So, what is focal length?  Focal length refers to how much zoom is in the camera lens.
The higher the number of mm. that is shown on the lens, the closer that the subject will appear.  

 

Do you see the ring with the numbers on it? That is the zoom ring that shows focal length.

 

Just to bring focal length into reality, our eyes see at a distance of about 50 mm.
But the wideness of the angle that your eyes are able to see is only about 10-20 mm.

Because of this difference, focal length not only determines how close the subject is
but also how the background appears. 
The longer the lens, the closer the background will be to your subject.
Not only that, but also it adds more bokeh (background blur) to the image.

See in the photos below:


18mm
 

55mm
 

200mm

WOW! That is a big difference between 18mm, 55mm, and 200mm! 
Also, all three of the photos are taken at f11, so the F-stop is not affecting the photos.
Because of this, a good portrait focal length would be about 85mm.
That would help to isolate your subject and provide just the right amount of background.
Also, if you are going after a dramatic shot or a landscape,
then you would want a fairly wide angle lens.

Finally, keep in mind that the only way to master focal length is to experiment with it.
  I hope to include more articles about focal length in coming posts, so stay tuned! 


Thanks for reading Weekend Photo Tips - more to come next Friday.   
But until then, remember...

“ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it,
it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous