Have you ever watched a professional photographer in action? I had the great fortune of working with some of the best videographers and still photographers during my tenure as a TV journalist and the one thing they all had in common is that you would rarely take a shot at eye-level. Typically, they were crouched under a bench or standing on a tree stump or on the bumper of the news vehicle. That’s because they realize that shooting from different angles greatly enhances the composition of an image. Even the most common items can appear interesting when they are snapped from a unique angle.
If you’re looking to spice up some of your shots I would highly recommend making these simple adjustments:
Get On Your Back. Lie on your back and shoot straight up. This technique works great when you have a circle of people standing above you (try it the next time you want a group shot of your kids), but no matter what your subject you will be amazed at how this simple action will add new life to your photo.
Knee Drop. Dropping to one knee and shooting at an angle can add a unique perspective to your picture. This is especially helpful if you are shooting young children. I find that when I drop to a knee when shooting my 3-year-old daughter it helps to eliminate unwanted clutter in the background. This technique is also especially helpful when you are shooting kids in a crowd (like at Disneyland). Shooting upward also helps to capture beautiful backgrounds such as a cobalt blue sky, which in turn enhances your subject.
Go Diagonal. By tilting your camera slightly to the left, right, forward or backward so that the horizon appears diagonally instead of horizontally you add depth to your photo’s composition.
Shoot Down. You’ve seen professional photographers scale ladders to get the “perfect” shot. I’m not saying you should put yourself in a dangerous situation, but by getting your camera above your subject and shooting downward you will add a flash of artistic flair to your shot.
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