We are always looking for the intriguing, the unusual, something that sparks our interest. Everyone sees so many photographs now, making them so common that even the great ones can seem average. Yet it's easy to elevate an average subject into something of interest. Here is how.
Usually we see the world from a sitting or standing position. Naturally, as we stand we bring our camera up to take the shot. Viewers of our image see the viewpoint as they would if they had stood there. So it's an expected, ordinary viewpoint. Nearly every photograph you see is taken from the 5 foot to 5'8" high vantage point. Usually with the lens that the camera came with.
It's no surprise that the majority of the photographs you see feel the same.
So the magic is to change your point of view. It's really an easy fix.
Try getting down low - real low, belly on the ground low. Then, shoot up. Add to that a wider angled lens. Dramatic things happen. It intrigues the mind.
Try getting up on a step stool, a ladder, or climb a wall. Stand on the bumper of your car. Balance on a railing. Lean out of a balcony - heck climb up on your roof, and then shoot down, even straight down. Suddenly it's a whole new world. People don't go to those extremes to see things, so it becomes a novel delight to see the same old thing so differently. Your image takes them to a viewpoint that is completely new.
Now do that with the extreme ends of your lens collection. Since the vast-used lenses are the middle range ones, leave them. Use a wide-angle lens, then shoot up from a low vantage point. Shooting up warps everything it sees. Legs become stilts, the sky becomes all drama, it all becomes different, fascinating.
Try using your lens the wrong way. Rather than having the wider-angle lens (that is everything from a 55mm lens and smaller) for a scenic, full landscape shot, get in close, real close to your subject. It's a delightful change; yes, it's warped and now oddly shaped, but that's its charm.
Try focusing your telephoto lens on the nearest thing it can handle, and do it with the lowest fstop your lens has. You will be delighted with the effect and the mood this creates.
Rather than being so careful to get the whole subject matter in, crop it like crazy, to just a small piece. Do a study of the subject that way.
Or pull so far back, your subject becomes just an element in the scenic image.
Try these vantage points; you will be amazed at what happens to your images, the interest that will suddenly happen. The unusual always fascinates the viewer - they want to study it, figure it out, enjoy it. You will also start to see your world differently, finding new and exciting photographic choices abounding.
Usually we see the world from a sitting or standing position. Naturally, as we stand we bring our camera up to take the shot. Viewers of our image see the viewpoint as they would if they had stood there. So it's an expected, ordinary viewpoint. Nearly every photograph you see is taken from the 5 foot to 5'8" high vantage point. Usually with the lens that the camera came with.
It's no surprise that the majority of the photographs you see feel the same.
So the magic is to change your point of view. It's really an easy fix.
Try getting down low - real low, belly on the ground low. Then, shoot up. Add to that a wider angled lens. Dramatic things happen. It intrigues the mind.
Try getting up on a step stool, a ladder, or climb a wall. Stand on the bumper of your car. Balance on a railing. Lean out of a balcony - heck climb up on your roof, and then shoot down, even straight down. Suddenly it's a whole new world. People don't go to those extremes to see things, so it becomes a novel delight to see the same old thing so differently. Your image takes them to a viewpoint that is completely new.
Now do that with the extreme ends of your lens collection. Since the vast-used lenses are the middle range ones, leave them. Use a wide-angle lens, then shoot up from a low vantage point. Shooting up warps everything it sees. Legs become stilts, the sky becomes all drama, it all becomes different, fascinating.
Try using your lens the wrong way. Rather than having the wider-angle lens (that is everything from a 55mm lens and smaller) for a scenic, full landscape shot, get in close, real close to your subject. It's a delightful change; yes, it's warped and now oddly shaped, but that's its charm.
Try focusing your telephoto lens on the nearest thing it can handle, and do it with the lowest fstop your lens has. You will be delighted with the effect and the mood this creates.
Rather than being so careful to get the whole subject matter in, crop it like crazy, to just a small piece. Do a study of the subject that way.
Or pull so far back, your subject becomes just an element in the scenic image.
Try these vantage points; you will be amazed at what happens to your images, the interest that will suddenly happen. The unusual always fascinates the viewer - they want to study it, figure it out, enjoy it. You will also start to see your world differently, finding new and exciting photographic choices abounding.
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