Hello everyone! My name is Chelsey Sanders (@chelsey_rsanders) and I’m so excited (and a little nervous) to be included this month! I’m a wife to one and mom to three, living in southern Idaho. While I’ve always loved photography and the ability to capture a moment, I didn’t really dive in with my first DSLR until my oldest was about three months old. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with photographing my children in every possible way.
Perspective is all about your personal mark on a photo. No two people would shoot a scene the same way and this is all influenced by our individual stories. This also includes the physical aspects of shooting, including where you stand in order to convey the story being told in the photo.
Be Moving
The main take away when it comes to perspective is to just keep moving. This will allow you to see the scene from multiple different viewpoints that you may not have initially expected. When I’m shooting, it is totally normal for me to be anywhere from laying on the ground or floor to climbing on chairs or rocks in order to see it all differently. Usually, if I’m not getting that magic shot I was hoping for, moving my feet makes all the difference.
Go With the Flow
While I may have a couple go to shots I’ll try to get depending on the scenario, I usually let the scene and resulting photos evolve on their own. Some of my favorite shots I’ve ever capture have been those moments and perspectives I hadn’t anticipated.
A recent favorite. My oldest was trying to climb onto the branch of this tree and couldn’t quite make it on his own. Before dad stepped in to help, I got this.
Size and Scale to Match
Being able to convey the size of your subject within their environment, the size of their environment around them, or both can add greatly to a scene and story. The angle can make a kid look like they’re climbing a mountain or about to take on a grand adventure, purely due to where the photos is taken from.
It can also be good to look at your photos and see where changes could be made to strengthen the image. An example, for me, would be with the photo of my oldest and our retaining wall. If taken again, I would get even lower to make the wall appear even larger and frame it to where it takes up the entire left edge of the frame. Taking a step back from your work can help us to think about those changes in future images.
This was taken back a couple summers ago. My oldest was trying to scale our rock wall to follow his dad and the angle aided in it appearing to be an even greater feet for toddler.
This was taken while kayaking on our local river. I wanted to be able to show the sheer size of the canyon in comparison to his little being. This perspective is a view of the adventure waiting ahead.
This was taken when our daughter was a week old. Though on a much smaller scale, the window and seat at this perspective conveys her size well in comparison.
It’s All In the Details
Just like with scale and being able to see the bigger environment with your subject, changing up your perspective can also draw closer attention to details while still using the entire frame to add to the story. While a good close crop can draw the eye right into a specific detail, it can often add so much to the story to include the subjects surrounding and remember exactly where they were when those details were captured.
I knew as soon as my daughter was born that I had to document all her dark hair. Even though the hair detail was my focus, I wanted it to still clearly register that this was taken in the hospital. The angle this was taken at provided that perspective.
I’ll often dress my kids in clothing items that grab attention too. In this case, it was my son’s red rainboots. I was able to place the focus on him and his boots while still showing him in the environment, which again gives the reason for the boots themselves.
One Scene, Two Ways
An easy way to think about perspective is to look at a scene and imagine the way specific parts of the overall scene can be emphasized. Be thinking about who your audience is and what you want to convey to them through your image. Make everything in the frame work for you. This doesn’t necessarily mean that there isn’t supposed to be any clutter or to clone out every little perceived distraction, but just being mindful of what you’re seeing.
In my four images below (two of my son’s playing in the dirt and two of him helping to make a pie), I took common scenes around my house and told two stories with two different perspectives for each.
With this wide angel view, the use of the fence and light from the sun flare draw attention to my sun. I didn’t move anything prior to shooting or remove anything in post because it all adds to the story and my perspective that I wanted to show. The eye goes to him, but it is about the story as a whole.
This is compared to this view from above of the same scene. This perspective puts a focus on exactly what my son was doing, which was playing in the dirt with all his cars and trucks. This picture could have been taken anywhere because there aren’t any super identifiable parts that link it to our yard.
These are essentially the same two shots as in the first example. The point of view plays heavily into the perspective and what your story is saying. Shooting into a window can add dramatic lighting, which was my goal here. I wanted the focus on his concentration.
The from above view still has that dramatic light, but more of the scene is illuminated. I wanted to draw attention to all the steps that go into making a pie. When I do a specific setup like this, I make sure to be deliberate in what I include in the frame as opposed to a spontaneous moment.
All About YOUR Voice
When it comes to perspective, the biggest takeaway is to remember that no other person will see a scene and capture a moment in just the way that you can. All photographers, whether just starting out or years into their journey, have a voice that deserves to be seen and a world that deserves to be seen through your eyes. Changing up your perspective and your view can make all the difference.
