104 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2021 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com
Andrew^ JamesDeliberately wonky
Q
Can I shoot
landscapes that
don’t have level
horizons for creative effect?
Sue HooperA
Photography is a creative
process, Sue, and there’s
absolutely nothing to stop
you from doing this. However,
I would strongly advise against it in most
situations. Avoiding or correcting crooked
or curved horizon lines rather goes with
the genre of landscape photography
because, put simply, it looks wrong!
It’s all down to psychology, really: our
brains expect a horizon to be level, so
when it isn’t, it is unsettling. I bet that
if you shot a landscape with a wonky
horizon and hung it on the wall,
everyone who came to look at it
would tilt their head to compensate.
I’m not against tilted horizons in images- for example, action shots can look great
with a dynamic tilt and so can images of
birds or aeroplanes, as we accept that
something in the air is free from normal
constraints; therefore, a tilted horizon
makes sense. However, a sloping
lake or seascape does not.
Visual balance in an image is vital; that’s
why if you’re going to deliberately tilt it, you
must do so with the understanding that you
are messing with our innate understanding
of composition. I’d suggest you either
endeavour to keep your horizons perfectly
level or, if you want to explore this idea with
your landscapes, give the images you take
a very strong and obvious tilt, so the viewer
understands it’s a clear creative choice.Streets ahead
Q
My street and travel
photos lack energy- how can I give
them some extra spark?
Denny Pool
A
It’s been a frustrating time for
those of us with a wanderlust- but it sounds like you’ve been
using your time productively
and identifying issues within the way you
shoot. One of the most effective ways to
inject a sense of movement and energy into
a shot is simply to slow the shutter speed
down and get some motion blur. When
coupled with the solidity of architecture,
this movement can add a new dynamic to
the frame. Obviously to blend movement
blur and sharp solidity, you need to think
carefully about composition and how these
two very different elements combine.
A tripod is essential – for street work,
I often use a smaller travel tripod and set up
and wait for the right elements to occur in
front of me. You don’t need a really slow
shutter speed either; for people walking or
cycling, often 1/8 sec or 1/15 sec will create
just enough movement to get the blur
where the subject is still obvious. If you are
shooting in the middle of the day you will
need an ND filter to hold back the light
enough for a slower shutter speed, although
sometimes a polariser and a small aperture
such as f/16 will do the trick, too.
I usually use a remote shutter release too
so that I can react quickly to something like
a bike entering the frame and not miss it.
You can use your camera’s self-timer
function but you are likely to miss the
moment you want to fire the shutter this
way; there is an art to getting the blur
exactly where you want it, when you want it.
Some cameras offer a built-in
spirit level to help make sure
that your horizon is dead level.Taking control of motion blur can inject
energy into your street and travel photos; it’s
easy with some basic techniques and gear.