Friday Photography Tips #9 - Change Your Perspective
A High Angle shot is probably not what Steven Spielberg would go for here (more E.T. later).
This week's tip is something that has had the biggest impact on my photography and videography. Once you become aware of it, you'll notice it in film and television as much as you do photography, most notably in the depiction of children.
When taking photographs it's easy to become lazy, instead of moving closer to a subject it's much easier to zoom in using the lens (I now own one zoom lens and only use it for video or when I'm teaching workshops). We take photographs from our own perspective, whether we are sitting or standing, near or far. But we often settle for bad composition and worse still, we don't consider the subject's perspective.
Photography evokes memory and emotion; and how we depict our subject can have unintended consequences. Let's look at the angle at which we capture our subject.
1. High Angle
Most common when photographing children, this is also something tall photographers like me need to carefully consider. When we 'look down on someone' we are presumed to be in a position of strength and they in weakness. The consequence of this is that despite the age of your subject, capturing them from above will make them look childlike. Imagine the little orphan Oliver looking up and asking for more gruel.
It does often create a sense of innocence and emotion; and there's nothing wrong with showing our weakness. This is about consciously showing perspective. The example above uses an 'over the shoulder' composition to reinforce whose perspective we are seeing and 'justifying' the angle of the shot.
2. Low Angle
Low angle photographs can make the subject heroic and larger than life. Most action films will feature a low-angle view of the protagonist (often walking in slow motion when they ironically have an urgent crisis to address). Photographing in this way can give strength to your subject but can also make them appear domineering (especially if they lean toward the camera), expression plays an important part here.
3. On Their Level
When we're not trying to imply weakness or strength in our subject it is best to photograph at their eye level. Films such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies and Super 8 are almost entirely filmed from the height and perspective of a child; because the films are from a child's perspective. Adults will be shown from a low angle, mimicking what a child would see (and reminding us of the power imbalance).
This technique may feel like children seem more mature but in truth it's actually just showing their real age. Perhaps our view of children growing up too soon is that we don't spend enough time at their level. What I've learned photographing my own children as that it is fun, it means sitting or lying on the floor and spending time in their world.
Whether your subject is a child or not, the starting point should be their perspective. Begin at their eye level (or slightly lower if you're showing them from head to toe), before you think about your own perspective or others.
I hope you found this weeks tip useful. As always please share this with those you think would find it useful and get in touch if there's a topic you think I should address.
Happy Friday,
Tom
