A rare topic that's not about gear or exposure modes: the role of perspective in compositions. Please share your photos!
Aug 18, 2018 19:13:27 #
Aug 18, 2018 19:17:12 #
kenievans wrote:
Keni, thank you for posting this eye-catching shot. I'm very glad you mentioned the importance of the light too. If I can't get a low angle with my rotating LCD, it doesn't get got, so I admire your throwing yourself into your work!I shot this one almost laying flat on the ground with a 50mm prime lens. Had I not gotten down at that level I couldn't have caught the backlight that gives this its "glow". I think it also makes it feel more I intimate.
Your support of the topic is much appreciated.
Aug 18, 2018 19:23:02 #
DNW wrote:
Thank you for joining in! You've captured an appealing profile, which also brings up the point that different viewpoints can help eliminate unwanted backgrounds or unfavorable light. I know some of this talk is basic, but UHH is comprised of all levels of experience and interest, and many of us can use a nudge or refresher even when we knew it back in the day I tried. 
Aug 18, 2018 19:32:10 #
CaptainC wrote:
Yeah, the perception may change, but it is a visual lie. That compression is nothing more than an "optical cropping" of the scene. Take two images from the same place - one at say 200mm and one at 35mm. Crop the 35mm image to the same angle of view as the 200 and.....NO DIFFERENCE!
A discussion of how perspective works in composition is good. Using focal length to demonstrate it is incorrect. That is my only point.
A discussion of how perspective works in composition is good. Using focal length to demonstrate it is incorrect. That is my only point.
"Perspective," ah "perspective." Can mean many things. Relating to photography, casting aside the meaning of my "take" or "intent," there are two things in play. The first, which the discussion of lenses has not touched on, is "atmospheric perspective," the way the atmosphere taks color out of things the further from the viewer they are, until the blue of the atmosphere make most distant objects bluish.
What we seem to be discussing here is the effect of lenses on "Linear Perspective," specifically 2 point perspective. [1st image is a graphic of the idea, that parallel lines meet at your eye level, also called the "horizon line."]
The photos that are uploaded show the parallel lines from lenses in the following order.
55mm
28mm
200 mm
The only one that approaches what our eyes see is the 55mm shot. The others distort perspective.
It' complicated, much more that I've done here, but this does show that lenses affect perspective.
Aug 18, 2018 19:38:01 #
CaptainC wrote:
Yeah, the perception may change, but it is a visual lie. That compression is nothing more than an "optical cropping" of the scene. Take two images from the same place - one at say 200mm and one at 35mm. Crop the 35mm image to the same angle of view as the 200 and.....NO DIFFERENCE!
A discussion of how perspective works in composition is good. Using focal length to demonstrate it is incorrect. That is my only point.
A discussion of how perspective works in composition is good. Using focal length to demonstrate it is incorrect. That is my only point.
Well, what you say is true until you get into the realm of ultra wide lenses. The extension distortion, caused by the short distances between the camera and foreground objects goes beyond optical cropping. So if you crop an image from a 14 or 20mm lens (full frame) you will get a wildly different image if there are any foreground elements in view.
Aug 18, 2018 20:03:02 #
Great that you started this discussion. I hope this photo meets the criteria you listed. I photographed this downtown expressway in Richmond, VA from below in order to create leading lines and a sense of depth. I think this perspective achieves that. The role of focal length may come into play here. I shot this with a 24mm focal length. It has the effect of exaggerating the front to back distance. The lanes are actually not as long as they appear here.
Aug 18, 2018 20:06:38 #
RWR wrote:
Hopefully Admin will move this to the gallery or other section where it belongs, because it is directly against forum rules to post it in Main Photography Discussion!
How could this topic NOT belong in 'Main Photographic Discussion'. This is what the forum should be about. We need more topics like this as opposed to endless questions on what lens for cruise to Alaska or mirrorless vs DSLR.
Aug 18, 2018 20:16:42 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
My hope for this thread is to stimulate ideas for ... (show quote)
Sometimes scale will distort perspective - visual cues can be interpreted in unintended ways. At first you aren't sure what exactly you are looking at. Some people react to this saying it reminds them of something from Lord of the Rings, In fact it is a tree stump with some moss and fungi, and some of it's bark is missing. The whole stump is maybe 2 ft across. But by cropping out foliage that would give a different sense of scale, the remain elements do not provide reference to size, perspective or depth. It looks like the side of a cliff to some.
What did you experience when you viewed it full screen?
Aug 18, 2018 20:18:38 #
LoneRangeFinder wrote:
And your topic will disappear faster than a mouse in a room full of cats
My beer just came out of my nose when I read this. We have 4 cats and no mice. But the mental image of that mouse made me think of all of those cat and mouse cartoons I watched as a kid.
Aug 18, 2018 20:35:14 #
CO wrote:
Great that you started this discussion. I hope this photo meets the criteria you listed. I photographed this downtown expressway in Richmond, VA from below in order to create leading lines and a sense of depth. I think this perspective achieves that. The role of focal length may come into play here. I shot this with a 24mm focal length. It has the effect of exaggerating the front to back distance. The lanes are actually not as long as they appear here.
With all this talk of perspective, I am SO missing good ol' SUNSETS! So, here's one with perspective, recalled as I saw CO's highway overpass.
Aug 18, 2018 20:42:06 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
My hope for this thread is to stimulate ideas for ... (show quote)
Another technique to alter the reality of spatial relationships not mentioned in your list is focus, and the visual cues it provides. Or put another way, when focus decays rapidly from a plane of focus it alters the the perception of depth and size - forcing a perception of visual intimacy or a "miniaturized" effect. The first image was done with a til/shift lens, the second entirely in post processing.
Other cues that can distort perception are color saturation. In the second image, in addition to blurring the background and the foreground, I increased saturation, deepening the perception that you are looking at something tiny. The last image is the "un-miniaturized" version.
Aug 18, 2018 20:47:51 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
My hope for this thread is to stimulate ideas for ... (show quote)
I shoot landscapes mostly so nearly all of my lenses are relatively short. This one one was shot with with a borrowed 70-300mm lens. I took a stance further than I would normally take as I played around with the longer zoom. I think the 'compressed' perspective gives a much more dramatic effect than I would have gotten with a mid range zoom taken closer or cropped in. I have now acquired my own 70-300 and am only starting to understand how to use it for landscapes.
I know it is a very 'busy' shot but the winding yellow walkway and the perspective of the vertical poles leads you through the frame. Think of it as a path winding through the forest.
It is my image and I like it!!
Aug 18, 2018 21:23:00 #
A classical example where camera to subject distance affects the perspective. The image has been cropped when post processing.
The cars are close but not "on top of each other".
The cars are close but not "on top of each other".
Aug 18, 2018 21:47:40 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
Atmospheric perspective While many folks are applying haze removal tools, I tend to seek out dust, mist, fog and haze
Good set.
Aug 18, 2018 22:17:54 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
My hope for this thread is to stimulate ideas for ... (show quote)
I remembered this one and thought it might be fun to share. But what a battle to find it. It was taken when I was still using Aperture, before fateful day. Now Im all Adobe. But I had it in my SmugMug portfolio and that's where I found it.
My son and grandson. At the Baltimore Rail museum. My grandson was about 2 then, really didn't see the train. He was all excited about the bed of rocks under the train, and other tiny things tall people miss. It was so huge to him that I don't think he even saw it. My son saw it . And his pose expresses his emotion. That is one BIG crane. When you first see it you are overwhelmed but the size. Shot with a 9-18mm Olympus lens @14mm F7.1 I used the natural leading lines of the train and the apartment building as a stop. I used a wide lens, (28mm full frame equivalent) but not too wide, to get all of the train. My son and grandson in the foreground anchor the frame, and that big crane is overwhelming. It is the subject. It was a rainy day, not raining at the time, the sky was grey and non-discript so I just tried to minimize it. Shot from a normal viewing height, I think that worked best, as I believed it captured the moment. A little bit of distortion in the lens I used for artistic license. ;)
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