PERSPECTIVES By Annie Villasana Hello! My name is Annie Villasana. I’m a stay-at-home mom of four kiddos. I have always loved photography, but began to delve deeper in the winter of 2017 when I learned how to make my DSLR work for me. I’m humbled to be able to share my thoughts on perspective with you this week.
“Perspective in photography is defined as the sense of depth or spatial relationship between objects in a photo, along with their dimensions with respect to what [the] viewer of the image sees.”*
Our challenge as photographers is to capture our distinctive experience of the three-dimensional world in a two-dimensional format. Each individual’s perspective is laced with the photographer’s own experiences and history that affects how they see the scene before them. Altering your perspective can be challenging. However, it can change the mood and story of an image, assisting the viewer in more clearly seeing and experiencing what you see or want to express through your image. It is my hope that this lesson will help guide you in improving the expression of your own personal perspective. How you photograph your subject can convey to the viewer emotion, storytelling, depth, and more. Things to consider when trying to change your perspective include your position in relation to the subject (lens choice will play a part here), how you use compositional elements, and sometimes merely being willing to see something different in front you than what you anticipated.
POSITION
Where you stand in relation to your subject and the angle at which you shoot can dramatically change the story conveyed by your image. Near, far, up, down, in front of and behind can all change the perspective communicated to the viewer. Moving also changes the direction of the light and, thus, the mood of the image.
When you get close to your subject (photographing details and filling the frame), you increase the emotive qualities of your image. The intimacy created by only allowing the viewer to see small fingers clutching flowers, lashes resting on a cheek, large expressive eyes or sweet little feet is not lost on the viewer. You give the sense of being up close and personal with the subject. I have used this technique a lot over the years to help me remember the details of my children while they are still so small.
Standing farther from your subject gives the viewer the perception of being an onlooker or observer. It also gives an opportunity to incorporate more storytelling elements into your image. In this instance, using compositional elements like leading lines, layering and framing can aid the viewer of your image to see the scene as you saw it. These images can still evoke emotion and invite the viewer to share in the moment as you or the subject experienced it. My favorite use of this technique is to illustrate how small my children are in comparison to their surroundings.
Changing your position to above or below your subject can also offer a new perspective. Shooting down on your subject can give a sense of how small something is and shooting up can make the subject and/or foreground appear larger. Keep in mind that as you move around your subject in this manner, your background will change as well. Moving yourself above your subject or laying down and capturing the moment from floor level can also create new perspectives. Raising your vantage point can add a sense of omnipotence and allow you to capture more of the scene. Children and pets are often experiencing the world from a lower plane of view, and getting on the floor can help capture a view of the world from their unique perspective. I use these techniques frequently to capture my children in their element. Don’t be afraid to lay on the ground/floor or raise your level of view in order to see something different.
COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS
There are many compositional elements you can incorporate into your image to enhance your perspective. Some of those include leading lines, layering, incorporating reflections, and using creative techniques.
Leading lines draw the eye of the viewer where you want them to go and add a sense of depth to your image. If you find leading lines, move your body up, down, side to side to use the lines to draw attention and focus where desired. Let them fade away into the distance in your image to create a sense of unending depth. Leading lines can often be found literally on the ground or a wall, but be mindful of leading lines in more natural elements such as rows of plants, rocks, bridges, paths, rows of people, etc. I love finding leading lines on the ground or in nature to add interest or draw attention and create depth.
Layering objects in your image can give the viewer information about what is in front of and behind your subject. This gives depth to your image and better illustrates your perspective. Is the viewer peering between the grasses or watching from another room? Objects in the foreground and background will be slightly blurred and give the viewer a more three-dimensional view of the scene as well as define and emphasize the size of your subject. Does your subject appear small in relation to their surroundings? Should you shoot from below and angle up to create the sense of your subject being larger? Could you change your focus to objects in the foreground or background to communicate a more uncommon perspective?
Reflections can be found in many places including mirrors, windows, water, counter tops and buildings. Using a reflection either as the subject or to enhance the subject can add interest and depth to your image and improve your perspective. Reflections are one of my favorite ways to add another dimension to my images, enhancing the expression of my perspective.
Creative techniques can enhance your perspective as well. Shooting through objects and freelensing can add interest, focus and/or a dream-like quality that often conveys a mood not captured in a perfectly focused image. As seen in some of the images below, I have taken photographs through a shower door, an umbrella, a window, spraying water, and a curtain and
used freelensing to add innovation and emotion to my perspective.
BE WILLING TO SEE DIFFERENTLY Sometimes changing your perspective can simply include keeping an open mind. One of our favorite restaurants is painted bright yellow on the walls outside of the building. I knew I wanted an image to communicate the fun, bright color of the wall. Having my camera with me one evening, we gave it a go. However, while my daughter was there by the wall, I noticed the tree shadows dancing on the wall. I began to see the wall from a different, more moody perspective. I knew I had to capture an image to convert into black and white to convey the feeling of the late afternoon shadows. Within a few minutes, I had two shots that conveyed completely different perspectives—one a bright and cheerful, the other dark and shadowy—taken standing almost in the same place. It’s important to be willing to see something different than what you expected or first saw.
IN CONCLUSION We all have our own unique life experiences and personalities that we bring to our photography. It allows us to see the scene before us in our own unique way. Changing your perspective involves giving some thought to what you want to convey to your viewer as well as moving your camera into a position that best allows you to capture that idea. All of that being said, it’s also important to be willing to see a different perspective as it unfolds in front of you. Consider, when you capture your image, how you can best convey your own personal perspective to the audience and what elements you need to include or exclude to do so. I also encourage you to challenge yourself to change your perspective frequently when shooting. (Keep in mind that changing perspective often forces a photographer out of their comfort zone.) Next time you shoot, think about all of the different vantage points I mentioned above and choose one that feels new to you. Another exercise you might try is to capture a scene two or three different ways. You may find that one of those perspectives better communicates what your experience was in that space and time. There is no right or wrong way to convey perspective because yours will always be unique to you. I look forward to seeing what new perspectives you find!
* Perspective in Photography: Tips for Beautiful Photos by Laura Thomas (https://www.lightroompresets-blog/perspective-in-photography)