REDLANDS CAMERA CLUB

Rick Strobaugh

rpdrunner@msn.com


Changing your perspective for more unique photos

With everyone carrying around a cell phone with a camera now, more people are shooting photos than ever before. So, how do you make your photos stand out from the hundreds or thousands of photos taken from about every vantage point anymore?

One way is to get more creative with your vantage point. Most people are standing with their camera at eye level so, get higher or lower with your camera. Quite often, that will make a big difference in the final photo from all the others taken from the same spot. This is one of the reasons why drone photography is so popular now, gives a completely different perspective and view than we are used to seeing.

An elevated view without the drone can be accomplished by moving up on a nearby hillside or even climbing up on a large rock or wall. Of course, getting lower is simply done by, getting lower to the ground. Sometimes even lying down on your stomach can result in much more interesting photos, even for landscapes. Getting lower is especially effective when photographing animals or small children. It will make the subject look larger in the final photo. No more shots of just your small dog’s head looking up at you while you stand looking down on him from above for the photo. Get the whole dog or child in the photo from a lower angle.

Another way to change your shot from everyone else’s is to get away from the roadway when traveling. Most people traveling through even the most inspiring scenery do not get more than a few yards off the roadway. Walk out into the scenery for a little ways. You may wind up with completely different angles to the main subject matter than from the roadway and more interesting foreground area too. Especially in places like Joshua Tree where I am usually anywhere from 100 yards to a quarter of a mile off the roadway or parking lot. This also gets me away from the crowds of people that are getting into the shot.