This article is about the way we see scenes. Have you ever considered how many photographs are taken from the same position: standing upright, with the camera at eye level? We photograph the world from the perspective we experience every day.
Change that perspective and you change the photograph. A small shift in camera height or angle can alter the story, reveal new relationships and make a familiar subject feel completely different.
Shoot from above: the bird’s-eye view
This perspective is a classic, but it remains effective. Find a safe elevated position and photograph down towards the scene. The closer you get to a straight-down angle, the more graphic and abstract the composition can become.
Johan Rastenberger explains that his photograph Tears was made using a stand and boom, allowing him to position the camera almost directly above the subject. A tethered setup gave him control over his Sony A7 and helped him refine the composition.
Eye-level perspective
Photographs taken from our normal standing height are often described as eye-level or central perspective. It is a natural way to photograph landscapes, buildings, people and animals. But remember to lower yourself when photographing small children. Getting down to their level can make the photograph feel more personal and engaging.
Get close
Try moving closer. When you think you are close enough, move a little closer again. A different world of perspective can open up when you fill the frame with details that would otherwise go unnoticed.
Johan Rastenberger describes the thinking behind his photograph Landscape of Muscles. The intention was to create the illusion of a landscape. Rather than following the familiar approach of placing a model in the centre of the frame, he used a rougher expression and left part of the face visible. It becomes a kind of vanishing point across a landscape of shapes.
If you are interested in more body-scape photography, explore the Bodyscape portfolio.
Shoot from below
Get down low and point the camera upwards. Buildings, trees or other structures can frame your subject. The familiar relationship between large and small can become exaggerated, making the world around the subject feel almost surreal.
Shoot from the hip
Sometimes it is worth forgetting about the viewfinder and simply making a photograph from a different height. Shooting from the hip can be useful in street photography when you want to remain discreet. It is not a guarantee that the subject will be unaware of you, and it is important to remain respectful of people’s privacy. The results can be unpredictable, but that is part of the fun.
The frog’s-eye view
As with shooting from below, you need to get close to the ground. This time, instead of pointing upwards, photograph straight ahead from a very low position. The world takes on a frog’s perspective, and an otherwise ordinary street scene can gain a surprising sense of depth.
I hope this article encourages you to change the way you look at familiar scenes. Open your mind to different perspectives.
Remember Ansel Adams’s famous words: “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”
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