Another Type of Perspective

When taking touristy photos of famous places, buildings and structures, I have always sought to isolate that famous place. You know, wait for the moment when there are no tourists in the scene. On a recent trip to Paris, I found that impossible. It was so crowded that in most cases, I would still be waiting for that exact moment. I did make an important discovery though.

We were at Versailles and at the back of the property is the Petit Trianon, a home given to Marie Antoinette by her husband King Louis XVI. Much less crowded, I had a chance to take this image. I loved the scene with the tile floor leading into the frame and the door opened at the far end. I loved the light shining through and the repetition of the pillars.

Here is the same image with a person just entering the scene. There was a time when I would have discarded this image because I didn't know the person, I was just trying to capture the famous place, whatever... Not so now. To me, having the person in the image increases interest in a number of ways. It adds:

• motion
• gives perspective to the size of the building
• human interest

 

Here is another example from a shop window in Paris. I loved the colors of the shop (They sell the best macaroons in Paris!) but it was raining and I didn't want to stand there waiting for the people to pass, which would have been like NEVER.  So snap I did and look at this. Two girls sharing an umbrella peering into the shop. The other pedestrians are blurred because they were walking fast and I used a lower shutter speed. I love this image. 

So my lesson here is to capture people in the images, even if you don't know them. The result is a stronger human interest story.

Changing Perspective: Down Low Squared

Possibly hum-drum to some but I love these. I am jazzed by the short depth of  field, which I can control, the sharp focus in the middle, the absolute color blast in the background and the fact that the dark spoiled edges of some are not so noticeable.

I set my camera on the ground, after fiddling with the settings and just shot away. I varied the distance from the subject and the focal length on the lens. They are not perfect but yes I am intrigued and will try some more with a new subject. Fun!

A Change of Perspective

Do you always shoot from the same perspective. Would that be eye high? Try getting down low. Yeah lay down on the ground or set your camera down and press the shutter or better get a cordless shutter release and give this new perspective a go. You might just be surprised at the results.