Blog #111 Change Your POV

May 18, 2018 • Leave a Comment

Just like pictures on the wall, we are accustomed to viewing images that were made from eye level. This common point of view [POV] is a familiar starting place in which to view the world. Changing POV in our images can lead to some interesting results. Shoot far, shoot near, shoot high, shoot low, point your lens up, point your lens down, and some amazing and fresh perspectives can be achieved.

Nikon D610 Making images from alternative POV can be a a useful exercise in its own right and down right fun as well. Let’s say you’re shooting an event, a holiday, or a sporting event, your top 20 images from a given shoot should likely contain images from various POV or else they will all look the same. Yawn…Boring!

One of the street images that I am most proud of [children with smartphone] was made on a photo walk at night shooting very low to the ground “Worms eye view at night” was the assignment. Here are some homework assignments that can be done at your own pace.

Shoot 100 different images all taken from a very low angle
Shoot 20 images with the lens pointed up and 20 with the lens pointed low.
Shoot all images in a given day lower than your eye level such as crouched down a bit as if you were a child.
For one week, shoot ALL images from any POV other than your own eye level.
Find balconies, bridges, or lofts and make 50 images looking down onto the street.

Nikon D610

Shooting images with a different POV is a simple technique that needs to be practiced and has the benefit of adding a cool twist to your images. Although images with differing POV can be fun they are not necessarily an end unto themselves. These should be incorporated into some project that you are working on and they ought to be appropriate for that project.

Drone photography is all the range these days. Franky, I’m not feeling the airborne bug. Anyway, images ought to have subjects, and compositional techniques that draw the viewers eye to the subject regardless of the POV. Drone images are not impervious to these factors that make certain images work.

Think big, think project-based and then, if appropriate to the given project, include images with varying POV.

The light is always right.

jhg

*Images: © Jeremy H. Greenberg

Where: Around Town in Hong Kong & Xi’an, China

Subject: Various POV Images

Gear: Various assortment of lightproof boxes including Nikon D610, Mirrorless Fujifilm X-Series, 35mm Film Cameras, and iPhone

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