Creative Photography – Unusual Angles November 26, 2007

At first time, I thought photography is all about taking pictures and capture the best moments and all that kind of things. Yes, that is the basic thing; without taking into account the importance of composition, lighting and angles.

I was keen to take pictures about everything, from scenery to scale model. After a while, I thought it was boring – sooner I realized I’ve lost interest in taking pictures. I let the camera stay in the box, and take it out sometimes to clean up the dust.

A couple of weeks ago, I got this email from Dave Peterson, a professional photographer because I subscribed to his website newsletter. He was talking about taking pictures from unusual angles. He realized most photos are shot at eye level. Come to think of it, this is because traditionally, you needed to have the viewfinder up to your eye to ensure you get everyone in the shot.

So this is his tips:

1. Hold your camera at waist height and click while walking around. Some photos will be blurred, but you can usually find some that are very good. This works particularly well in sunlight when walking around a tourist area.
2. When shooting any subject with a lot of straight lines (like someone on a fence), turn the camera 45 degrees to give a diagonal look to your image that enhances the mood of the picture.
3. Sometimes the best images need to be taken from unusual locations such as from the top of a building (for a birds eye shot) or right down on the ground. Also point the camera different ways .including straight up or straight down. Don’t be afraid to try different angles. Placing your camera at angles of 30 degrees from the horizontal or vertical lines work well.
4. When finding that great angle, don’t worry about looking the fool! Being self-conscious will affect your ability to find great angles, your concentration, and maybe even the quality of your photographs.
5. You don’t need to go to extremes to find a great angle – even standing on a step, or getting down onto one knee can make a lot of difference.
6. To make small things look large, lie on the ground and hold your camera towards the sky. This will make your small subject look like a giant! This also works well for tall buildings such as lighthouses.

Credit to Dave Peterson, for the tips.
Photos taken by me during the recent Labuan Classic Car AutoShow 2007

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