Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Point of View matters

Photography is a big interest of mine and I have been enjoying taking photos for quite some time. As an aspiring hobbyist photographer, I always try to find ways to improve my skill and better define my photography style. I try not to worry too much about the equipment, but rather how to use it; although, I must admit I have just recently succumbed to the equipment bug and replaced my Olympus E-510 with a Nikon D90. So far, I'm quite happy with that decision. But I digress.

I went out in the garden with my son to play the other day, and took my camera with me, just in case. It was a sunny morning with not a cloud in the sky. As I was coming out I noticed a little patch in the grass. The sun was shining on it and it produced vibrant greens as the light went through the plant's leaves. It felt like a nice photo opportunity. I could have just taken the photo at that moment from my standing point of view (and I actually did, to help me illustrate the point of this post), but that particular point of view did not offer anything of value as a photograph.

Normal POV
With that in mind, I started thinking about what can be done so the photograph tells the story better. I wanted to focus the viewer on the semi-transparency of the leaves and the beautiful greens so a change of background was definitely required. I decided to simply change the point of view and bring the camera to the same level as the leaves. The result is the image below.
Leveled POV
This photograph is much different and it reveals well what I tried to accomplish. While it's not a winner, it's way better than the photo above. These photos are not processed in any way and this one could use a better crop and a bit of dodging.

Every photographer will tell you that it's not just the subject that matters in a photo; the subject can tell all sorts of different stories depending on the point of view. When taking photos, try to explore the subjects as much as you can - sometimes you can yield many excellent photos from a single subject. Not only it's a great learning expirience, it's also a good exercise, especially if you're shooting with a prime (single focal length) lens.

Go out, take some photos and share your expirience.