ANGLES AND LEVELS

The vast majority of photographs, whether with a phone or a camera are taken by the person standing up. This 'complacency' about perspective no doubt stems from the fact that we view the world around us from predominantly a standing position, face on to the subject, so it seems the most obvious, the most natural. Yet it can also be the most boring.

A simple way to begin taking photographs of familiar scenes and objects in a way that makes us look at them differently is to vary not only the angle of the camera in relation to the subject, but also to find a raised vantage point or, alternatively, lower oneself into a ground hugging position from which to shoot. (In passing, one good reason to celebrate 'selfies' is that, having to place the camera at arms length so as to take the image of oneself or the group, often means the ensuing photograph is captured from a slightly acute or distorted angle).

Photographing from a low perspective often helps to capture the detail in the foreground in a much more dramatic way. It's 'importance' to the composition is strengthened and, sometimes, by slightly distorting the scale of foreground to background, helps to give the image a greater dynamic impact. Conversely, shooting from above - a balcony looking down on a town square for example - brings out patterns of human interaction and architectural interest in a way which shooting from eye level misses entirely. Look at some of Lazslo Moholy-Nagy's work for example, or some of his other Eastern European contemporaries, and you will see how effective this bird's eye viewpoint can be.