Learning in the time of COVID: Perspective
Perspective! What is it in photography?
Generally it means, your point of view and creating depth. How have you set up your image to create layers, interesting views, texture, contrast, and the feeling of three dimensions?
During a session my goal is to capture a bit of the traditional while allowing myself some artistic freedom in a gallery. I know Grandma loves the typical smile at the camera head on photo, but millennials also love to capture creativity. An easy way to do this is to play with perspective.
Eli, Duke and I had down time after church today so I pulled out my camera to capture a bit of what our every day activities look like around here lately. I wasn't about to fight with him regarding clothes, so apologies on that one. The rest of these images are some of my favorite ways I've added interesting perspective in a composition.
One thing to keep in mind is that today's images were shot in SUPER low lighting. It was incredibly cloudy outside this morning, so don't be afraid of low light situations in your home!
Explanation of how I achieved this perspective is in the caption of each image, but here are some main points.
1. Shooting through something: Using objects in the foreground of the image can create layers and depth that can really set your photography apart from others. It's my very most favoritest thing I have in my toolbox to make my images more "me".
2. Shooting from above: Tell your story from their perspective. Get their little hands playing, get the baby yawning, get their laughter when they're rolling on the floor fighting. Literally just hold the camera straight up and click the shutter. Then hope it's in focus...
3. Shooting from below: Getting down on your belly is a simple way to create a down-to-earth perspective. See how I used it in the images shown.
4. Straight on, eye level: Simple, straight on, no gimmicks.
5. Straight on, no face shown: Simple, straight on, no face or head shown.
6. Straight on, pull back: Simple, wide angle to tell a story.
7. Pull back, below the subject: Wide angle, down below.
8. Close up!
9. Side angle: Shooting from the side, generally to capture window light.
10. Movement: Slow down your shutter speed to create movement with kids!
Questions? What would you like to learn about next?
1. Shooting through something. The light is behind me coming through a bay window in our living room, so I crawled (literally) behind a chair and side table to have him face me (the light). What you see is the chair on the left, and the fuzzy out of focus parts are the table. I LOVE adding depth by using objects I can "see through" to create layers.
2. Shooting from above is an easy way to place yourself with your subject. It's a fun way to provide a flat lay and tell a story. One of my favorite ways of composing an image.
3. Straight on, eye level. Since kids are much shorter than us (well, not always…) it's important to get down to their level. This creates syncopation with what they see and what they are doing. Here Eli is just simply playing with his trains, but you can tell more of the story by getting down on his level.
4. Straight on, no face shown. I love these shots as simple story telling images. No need to see his face, just show what his little chubby hands are doing and that's all you need! The in-between moments are just as beautiful sometimes.
5. Straight on, pull back. A pull back is a wider shot. You show more of the scene in the image to tell more of the story. In most documentary photography, wider angled lenses are used here like the 35mm. Since this camera holds the 50mm lens all the time I just simply stepped back and created a wider frame to tell more of the story.
6. & 7. Pull back, below the subject. Note the empty plastic tub, train tracks, and trains that are in the foreground, Eli in the middle ground, and the chair and window in the background. Layers, layers, layers! I also love to get BELOW or actually get down on my belly on the ground to create the feeling of being below my subject. It's so interesting and can often be some of my favorite images.
8. Shooting from above. He's obsessed with Minecraft so instead of making him move, I can tell the story just by creeping my camera above his head to get the straight on image of the iPad. I also love his little knees here.
9., 10. & 11. We have a fuzzy ottoman in this room and I used the texture of the fur to create the layers and depth in these images. For the first two I dropped below the subject to get the fur in the frame. For the third image I shot straight on, eye level. Notice the difference!
12. SUPER CLOSE UP, MAN. Honestly, he's a moving target and just popped up in front of my lens and happened to be in focus but it's a great example of what the super supreme close up can do, too!
13. Side angle. Again, the light was really low this morning so I had him "eat the window" or get as close to the window as possible to get the light on him. I got a few of him looking into the window and some looking at me, but I liked this composition best. Note that the foreground of the image isn't in focus, and he isn't directly next to me. Layers.
14. Movement. From a recent newborn photoshoot! When shooting newborns and toddlers it's often hard to get the older sibling to sit still. Solution? Go with it! Kids running is a really fun way to play with perspective. Plus, I like to show them the back of my camera and tell them how FAST they look! How fun! Slow down your shutter speed for this technique.
15. Looking through something. I LOVE this shot. It's at my parents house and is of my siblings-in-law looking at our then new nephew. I was actually getting solo shots of the baby, but saw them laughing and giggling in the mirror and quickly changed my perspective to tell the story here. Keep your eyes open, fun things can happen.
16. & 17. Shooting from above. The first one is directly above, while the other one is only slightly above. Subtle changes in my positioning, but can create different feelings. A favorite for newborn galleries.
18. Shooting through something. Remember I mentioned the first image here with the table and chair? Here is a really great way to get perspective and tell the story in the nursery. I love shooting through the crib bars! The closer you get, the more fuzzy the bars get and it's a fun lesson on perspective and layers.
19. Changing height. We had several images in this set, many straight on, many pulled back, and a few closer up. This one stands out to me because I crouched down and shot through a plant. Texture! Layers! Cute boy!
20. Changing height. This family was up on the top set of the steps, while I was down on the bottom step. Initially, it's strange telling the family to just talk and chat and laugh, but this candid shot is one of my favorites simply because of the perspective.