CAMERA ANGLE: Angle from which the camera photographs a subject or scene.
When Tiffany, Tini, Melissa and I went Cherry Blossom shooting, Melissa took this photograph…
It is a wonderful example of each of us using a different camera angle. We are all photographing the same path at the same location but our points of view differ which give us each an entirely different photograph.
When thinking about the composition of your image, there are certain things you should consider. Are going to look down on the subject, look up at it, how close will you be? Every choice made will change the point of view and how your image is viewed by others.
Your camera angle is something you should practice when taking photos. Many people see something beautiful they want a picture of and just snap a photo. Sometimes this will create a nice photograph but if you consider your image composition and camera angle the picture could be transformed into something much more interesting.
Shooting from an unexpected camera angle will easily do this. Don’t just shoot a photo from where you stand. Everyone has seen that angle before. Try getting down and shooting up. Or stand on something and get a view from above. Use a point of view that isn’t used every day.
Think about your subject. What is the composition of your photograph? If you shoot at your subject’s eye level your viewer will easily connect with it. If you shoot from above, your viewer will feel superior to the subject. Shoot from below and the subject tends to seem superior. It depends on how you want the viewer to see the subject. The camera’s angle can completely change the emotions or importance of a photograph.
For example:
In Tiffany’s photo, she got down and angled the camera. From her point of view the trees seem to cascade over you. They seem to be the superior subject in the photo. She wanted to user to feel how tall and powerful the trees were.
In Tini’s photograph she makes the viewer feel superior. The trees still cascade over the path but from Tini’s perspective, they don’t seem as powerful as they did in Tiff’s picture. Everything seems more balanced.
In my photograph, like Tiff, I also got on a lower level but from my angle the path seems superior. It is what the viewer looks at first. The trees are where your eyes go second.
You can see we all took a photograph of the same path but that our alternating points of view transformed it into something completely different. Interesting, right?
If you’d like to practice shooting from different camera angles find one subject and photograph it from different directions. You will easily be able to see how it can transform a photograph. If you get better at using different points of view your photography will become more interesting and your photos more captivating.
GOOD LUCK!
Happy Shooting,
xx, Heather
