In just a few metres we made a noticeable change to the scale and
relationship between our foreground subject and the background.
Now, if we were to move back 100 metres, all of a sudden our
subject is lost in the crowd and the buildings and structures that
were 100 metres away are now 200 metres away. These buildings
will now appear half the size they were a moment earlier. If we
ask our subject to come and stand one metre in front of us again,
we have made them dominant again, and yet we have made
the background smaller. And if we ask our subject to move back
another metre, they are in proportion again with the background
as it was in our original photo. Moving our camera forwards or
backwards along the line, and even moving the subject forward
or backwards, changes the apparent size of elements and their
significance within the photograph.
The choice of lens for the photograph does not actually
control the relationships of size within a photograph; all a lens
does is control the field-of-view. Of course, this is important too.
If we use a wide-angle lens for the photograph we capture lots of
the environment surrounding the subject; if we zoom in with a
telephoto lens we are removing a lot of that background clutter
and instead concentrating our attention on the key elements.
As you keep cropping in with a lens there is one really useful
rule of thumb worth knowing: if you double the distance
between you and a subject, you can actually double the focal
length of the lens to keep the subject roughly the same size in
your viewfinder. A subject photographed at one metre with a
24mm lens will occupy a similar area of the frame as the same
subject shot at two metres with a 50mm lens, four metres with a
100mm lens, eight metres with a 200mm lens, 16 metres with
a 400mm lens and so on.32 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015
RIGHT AND OPPOSITE
Perspective is not a tool to be pulled out when you’re stuck for
ideas; it’s a fundamental consideration which photographers should
apply to every photo. Here are a couple of images of writer Andy
Griffiths entertaining a group of children at the recent Willy Lit Fest
(Williamstown Literary Festival) in Melbourne. Both photos were
made from the same line and the same length – in other words,
the same location. The difference is that for one photo I got down
low to include the heads of the children and I used a telephoto lens
to make Andy appear large in the photo (right). In the other photo
(opposite) I put the camera on a monopod, put a 20mm lens on the
camera, and then held the monopod and camera above my head
while the self timer captured the photo. Same location, two very
different images.The four ‘L’s
Finding the right perspective for an image can be easy when
you break it down into four simple steps that I’ll call the ‘Four
Ls’ - Line, Length, Lens and eLevation. Here’s how it works.- Line: Walk around the subject and explore the best line from
which to make the image. As you walk around, look at the
relationship between the subject and background, along with
any other supporting elements that might help (or hinder)
the image. Look for visual symbolisms and icons in the
background, but also be aware of any potential distractions you
might want to eliminate, including distracting highlights or those
poles and branches that can grow out of people’s heads! - Length: Having found the perfect line, give some thought to
the length of the shot, as in the distances between you, the
subject, the background and any other key elements within the
photograph. As you vary these distances you can dramatically
change the scale and relationship between the main elements
within the photo. - Lens: Regardless of the line and the length you settle on for an
image, the lens choice is still a unique decision which needs
consideration in its own right. The lens choice is not going to
change the overall relationships of scale between the different
elements within your photos, but it does determine how you
crop your final vision. While it’s possible to dramatically change
the scale of some objects and backgrounds in a photograph
simply by moving in closer or further away, there are subjects
where sometimes choosing a wide lens or a telephoto is your
only option for adjusting scale. One such object is the moon,
which will only ever appear bigger in a photo if you use a longer
lens. And then there are those wide cavernous vistas such as
the Grand Canyon or the inside of cathedrals where you’re only
likely to share the story if you use a wide-angle lens. - Elevation: The last of the “L”s is elevation – the height your
camera is off the ground as you make the image. Outdoors,
getting the camera low to the ground will allow you to include
textures like grass or rocks in an image, while in urban
situations getting low might let you include objects on a table
or feet on a street. Getting low can also place your subject
on the horizon line, which is rather useful if you’re trying to
eliminate other visual clutter from a photo. Alternatively, putting
the camera up high, even by just one or two metres, can help
show the scale of a landscape and the distance relationships
between subjects and surroundings.
HOW TO Master Perspective