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Highs & Lows- Amateur Photographer
We all view the world from relatively the same height. Admittedly, some people are taller than others, but the perspective is more or less the same. When we take a picture with our cameras, we usually automatically take it from our standing height. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach, is it something that can be improved upon? If your height is say, an average 5ft 8, is this really the best viewpoint for the subject? The same applies even if you put the camera on a tripod, as you’ll have set the legs for a comfortable height to shoot. What about if you got a bit lower and crouched down perhaps, or better still laid down on the floor. For the opposite effect, how about if you tried standing on a wall, climbed half way up a flight of stairs or even got a view from the top of a building. The point is, there are many different ways to view a subject and this is something you should consider very carefully before pressing that shutter.
Getting a lower viewpoint would seem the obvious and easiest way to start, but it isn’t always the easiest to do in practice. You could of course simply try sitting on the floor for that new perspective and it’s surprising how the view changes just doing this. Even better, try lying flat on your stomach and lean on your elbows. This is where it’s useful to always carry a plastic bag to protect your clothing, especially if it’s wet.
Things start to get tricky however, when you need to set the camera on a tripod. How difficult this is, depends on your tripod. Some will go as low as a rattlesnake’s belly button with their legs splayed out, whilst others will not. One of the common problems with trying to get low with the tripod, is that the central column can get in the way. Again, some models allow you to reverse it or even remove it completely. The downside to reversing it of course, is that the camera will be mounted upside down and you will have to compose like that. An easier solution to this is available with Manfrotto and Benbo tripods, where you can mount the central column horizontally, which means you can then set the tripod up just inches off the ground.
An alternative if your tripod won’t go this low or you cannot remove the central column, is to purchase a mini tabletop tripod. These are more often than not designed for use with compacts, but there are plenty of models that can quite easily accommodate a 35mm camera and this will enable you to get a very low angle if needed.
The next problem when you have set up this low however, is seeing the image through the viewfinder. Again, you could lie down flat on the ground, but if the camera is pointing up as well, then this can also be a bit of a task. I use a Mamiya RZ for most of my photography, which has a waist level viewfinder and therefore enables me to look into the finder from above. The down side to this of course, is putting the camera at eye level height, like a 35mm camera, which gives me the opposite problem. If you are shooting digital, then you may have a camera with a rotating LCD screen, a bit like the ones on video camera’s, which solves the problem. For the rest of you, then one solution is to use a right angle finder. These are available from most of the big manufacturers and allow you to view the image through the viewfinder from a 90-degree angle. These finders can be quite pricey however, so it may only be worth investing in one if you see yourself getting a lot of use out of it.
Once you have your camera positioned this low, then you can see the world from an entirely different perspective. For starters you’ll have twice the amount of foreground as before, which will look very impressive through a wide-angle lens and will give your landscapes a lot more depth, creating very dynamic pictures. It’s when you start to point the camera upwards however, that things really become interesting. You’ll find you’ll start getting all kinds of distortion and buildings will start to converge and appear to narrow at the top. This is type of composition is usually frowned upon, but when the effect is this severe, it becomes a bonus and looks great, especially with modern buildings and architecture.
Nature also takes on a new look from this angle and you’ll start to see it from an insect’s point of view. Flowers look wonderful from down here, especially if you use the sun to backlight the petals. Even everyday objects take on a new look as well and often even mundane things can look great when put against a deep blue sky.
Once you have fully explored this new viewpoint, or if the subject is impossible to shoot from this low, then its time to do the opposite and get above the subject. Again, you will find that the subject will take on an entirely new look and you’ll see things that went unnoticed from your normal height level.
The first way to achieve this is simply to stand on a wall or a stepladder. This may be for as simple a reason as trying to avoid a distraction in the foreground, which would otherwise ruin the shot, but nonetheless it’s getting a new viewpoint. Portraits are good way of experimenting in this way and you can get some fun compositions when getting slightly elevated from the subject.
The next step is to find an elevated viewpoint. This can be anything from standing at the top of a flight of stairs, on a bridge or a balcony, or just about anywhere that is more than a few metres from the ground.
The first subject to benefit from this, is architecture. If you want to avoid those converging verticals that you exaggerated earlier then you need to keep the camera straight. This is especially the case with old buildings, which need to be treated with some respect. However, from street level, you will find you have too much pavement in the foreground and the top of the building will be chopped off if you try and keep the camera level. The answer therefore, is to find an elevated viewpoint so that you are situated more in the middle of the buildings height.
Going higher still, will give you a third option. To achieve this may mean going to the top of a building or maybe just to the top of a car park, which are great for getting new views over a town. Many buildings have top-level vantage points or special viewing platforms that you can pay to go up to.
Not only will this give you superb panoramic views for miles around, but will also give you the opportunity to look down as well. At the top, you may automatically think of fitting a wide-angle lens to include all this new view. This however, will give you a boring picture with too much in picture and no focal point. For better results, fit a mid telephoto instead and be selective with your composition, picking out the best features of the view.
Then you can fit your long telephoto lens and look down from the viewpoint. This is when you get the really interesting views and you can be quite creative and pick out subjects for an abstract composition.
So, next time you are about to take that perfectly composed shot, think twice and see if there is another viewpoint to shoot it from. By doing so, you may find that you end up with a unique and very different perspective on things.
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