How to properly photograph a steep hill? Hello everybody I'm currently staying in a vacation home that can only be reached by driving up a rather steep road. All my attempts to take...

phot0n0ob

Hello everybody

I'm currently staying in a vacation home that can only be reached by driving up a rather steep road. All my attempts to take proper picture of said road have fallen flat so to speak, i.e. they do at all show how steep that hill actually is. What's the secret to taking such a picture properly?

Thank you for your help.
Regards
Andy

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Light, shadows, but probably mostly scale (a vehicle or person in the pic, angle of the trees) and perspective/pov - your position, the focal length of your lens etc. Do you have a photo you can post here so we can see what you're dealing with?

Also, have you tried shooting from the top down, or just from the bottom looking up?

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Use a longer lens, (200 MM) and the compression will accentuate the hill.

Leitz Loc: Solms

Photo-Noob wrote:

Hello everybody

I'm currently staying in a vacation home that can only be reached by driving up a rather steep road. All my attempts to take proper picture of said road have fallen flat so to speak, i.e. they do at all show how steep that hill actually is. What's the secret to taking such a picture properly?

Thank you for your help.
Regards
Andy

It will look the same on your computer monitor as it did in your camera's viewfinder.

phot0n0ob

Thanks everybody for tips. It's pitch black right now and I have deleted all previously taken pictures, because I was unhappy with the result.
I'll give it another shot tomorrow, using tour suggestions and let you know ...

captivecookie Loc: Washington state

Seems like an uphill battle to me.

Sorry, just had to say it.

I'm not sure of the best way, but it sounds like you are earnest in your attempts. Have you considered a sideways shot that shows the actual angle? Not sure thats a good way, im merely throwing out ideas.

phot0n0ob

captivecookie wrote:

Seems like an uphill battle to me.

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Take a picture, from the top, of some standing at the bottom.

wrangler5 Loc: Missouri

Be aware that there are some physical situations where you simply cannot capture an image from the ground that shows what you want and the way you want it. It may be, for example, that the best place to get the perspective you're looking for is out in the air somewhere. In which case, there are these things called drones that can help, if you've really gotta have the shot. (BUT - they're harder to control than you think. Don't ask me how I know.)

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

keep the camera horizontal and if possible shoot form the side. also adding a person at the bottom of the hill will help

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

If you are actually on the hill, it won't look like a hill. If you can shoot with a telephoto on a flat spot some distance from the hill, then you will see the difference between the flat and the hill.

davidrb Loc: Half way there on the 45th Parallel

Photo-Noob wrote:

Hello everybody

I'm currently staying in a vacation home that can only be reached by driving up a rather steep road. All my attempts to take proper picture of said road have fallen flat so to speak, i.e. they do at all show how steep that hill actually is. What's the secret to taking such a picture properly?

Thank you for your help.
Regards
Andy

Get the largest clear glass jar available and fill it 2/3 full of a dark liquid. Set it on the side of the road and photograph it. This will re-create the glass vial in a builder's level and will demonstrate the angle of incline. Use a large enough jar and your favorite bourbon/scotch whiskey and you won't care how steep the hill is.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

davidrb wrote:

... Use a large enough jar and your favorite bourbon/scotch whiskey and you won't care how steep the hill is.

ROTFL

.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

davidrb wrote:

Get the largest clear glass jar available and fill it 2/3 full of a dark liquid. Set it on the side of the road and photograph it. This will re-create the glass vial in a builder's level and will demonstrate the angle of incline. Use a large enough jar and your favorite bourbon/scotch whiskey and you won't care how steep the hill is.

If the hill is too steep it will fall over. But if you drink just enough of it you won't even notice it.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

The OP should post a few images from various angles and elevations, of the steep hill in question so we can see the terrane in question. There are many remedies- side views showing the slope or angle, the employment of various distances and focal lengths. an aerial or quasi-areal view or another element in the image providing scale or comparison.