Improve your photography by changing your perspective

Sometimes, I find myself stuck in a bit of a rut in photography, and it seems like no matter what I do, I just can't completely find interesting lessons to take or dramatic scenes to shoot in the photo. Worse still, when I think I've stumbled upon something that will make a good picture, I start clicking, only to be disappointed by the result.

One of the techniques I've dug out of these pits over the years is to change my perspective. By looking at a familiar subject from different angles or in different lights, I often find myself seeing it almost for the first time. It's a fun exercise that doesn't require much effort. It can turn even the most boring scene or mundane subject matter into something worth shooting and composing. There are many ways you can change your mind about things to get good photos. I'll look at four of my favorite techniques and show you an example of each. Hopefully, this will give you some ideas to try on your own and start turning the mundane into the magical.

Take a look at the lights

Not long ago, I was walking around in a pond near my Fuji X100F when I came across the following scene. As you can see, it doesn't look like much by any means. I noticed two brown leaves among the dull green ones, but nothing seemed to me worth taking pictures of.

A few minutes later, the sun poked out from behind the clouds. I decided to look at the scene from a slightly different Angle, with some lighting changes. Instead of shooting in the sun behind me, I shoot from the sun behind my subject. This simple change makes a big difference. It turned out to be one of my favorite pictures of leaves.

One morning in May, I used the same technique to photograph a butterfly. I put myself in such a position that the sun will fall behind this particular butterfly. Not only did it give its wings an incredible glow, but it also made the dewdrops on the grass glow, making the scene seem almost magical. Usually, I tend to take such pictures behind me, rather than behind my subject. However, it is a good reminder that sometimes creative lighting choices produce amazing results.

You can't exaggerate the effect of lighting on photographs. Even the word photograph itself means painting with light. Even so, I often think of formal portraits or other artificial lighting of the scene. When I tried to capture random shots in interesting ways, it didn't immediately change my mind.

The next time you feel a bit sluggish, try looking at everyday items and situations from a different perspective. The way light is changed, see how it changes everything in front of you. Another tip is to try to create your own lighting, as shown in the figure below. It's just a can of spaghetti in my kitchen that I put on my flashlight. However, it turned out to be something funny and unexpected that brought a smile to my face. In a similar caption, this purple swirl was photographed using almost the same principle. It might look like something from a movie or a painting, but it's just a plastic bottle with purple water that I illuminate with a flashlight.

The original Settings are far less dramatic and very boring - not the kind of scene that looks great for interesting photos. With some light manipulation, however, even such scenes can produce a magical picture.

Close to the point

When I first started taking pictures, I didn't realize that I could change the impact of the image by moving it down a little bit. Sometimes I end up shooting subjects or scenes from different angles. However, the proverbial light bulb really lit up when I realized how close to my subject could lead to such dramatically different results. This comes into play when taking a photo for a client - for example I took a photo with an F / 4 aperture of 190mm.

This is a good picture. However, as I approached, I found the final image more intimate and personal. It was almost as if I had caught these two in a private moment. I took this image with an F / 4 aperture of 150 / mm. Although the focal length is shorter, the image feels more comfortable and natural because my body is closer to the couple.

I didn't zoom in on this shot - I zoomed out. But I'm closer to them. Not only did this give me a more personal picture, but it also helped the couple feel more comfortable with me. I can talk and joke with them now, instead of being far away. This allows them to let their guard down and smile more naturally.

Of course, the reverse is also true. Sometimes you may find that moving farther gives you a better shot. The point is that a simple change in perspective can have a profound effect on your photos. In addition, if you're working with people, it can also change the overall mood and tone of a photo session.

Rebuild the topic

If you don't want to move back and forth but want to put an image on a level or two, try moving the body. This puts them in slightly different places, with slightly different surroundings. Take this photo from a maternity meeting. The mother-to-be was in a garden exposed by bricks.

Like the couple in the previous example, the photo itself is good, but it feels like it's missing something. By moving my subject to a nearby flower bed and taking a similar photo, we were able to add a completely different size to the photo. So, despite similar poses and expressions, the images I take are more personal and intimate.

A simple recomposition of the theme, or even the addition of foreground and background elements, can have a huge impact on the image you get and the story or emotion you want to tell. This does not just apply to people, such as the image of the moon. Not too bad. The theme is clear and focused. However, the picture is not so dramatic. It's just a big white circle on a black background. As a result, the image is a little dull and uninteresting.

Now compare this image to another image I captured a few months after sunset. This time I've compiled my shot, so there will be some branches in the foreground. This simple composition decision makes the final image more compelling than just taking a picture of the moon in the sky.

Top and bottom

There is a final tip that can help you make your images more interesting (or look interesting). Check your subject or scenario from a vantage point that is far above or below what you are used to. This may involve climbing a ladder or crouching to the ground. The more ideas you can get, the more attractive your results will be.

These two shots are of the same sleeping baby. However, I shot one from a very low Angle and the other from right above. No one is better or worse than the other, that's not the point. Instead, both images show the same theme in different ways. As a result, they convey different meanings to the audience.

The same scene from different angles felt more personal and intimate, even though the baby hardly changed at all.

In a similar note, I recently did a family photo for some clients who wanted to take a photo together. After discussing some of the ways to achieve this, we decided to shoot from above. It involves a high ladder with all the family members huddled on a tree stump. They were excited by the result. All this was because I was moving my vantage point directly above me rather than my normal tendency to take pictures from my eye level.

Finally, there is an example involving only the washing machine my father operated when the lid was lifted. I put the camera directly above to take a picture of the rotation period. Not as special as a baby or a third-generation hand, but it's an interesting image that makes familiar situations possible by shifting perspectives. Hopefully these images will allow you to change some simple things through photography to see what is possible. You don't need expensive equipment or fancy studio Settings to accomplish some interesting results. Often, you just need to adjust the viewpoint or find a way to use the light differently.