Great Escape Publishing

Posted March 21st, 2007 by Shelly Perry & filed under Travel Photography.

Photo Composition Tip: Shooting at Eye Level

If you can make your photographs more unique, you’ll make them more salable too. And one way to do that is to change your “perspective,” your angle. You see, most people tend to photograph from their everyday perspective. In other words, they stand with their feet shoulder width apart and pull the camera up to their eye to take the shot. They may look to the right or to the left, but for the most part, they only photograph what’s straight out in front of them. And I’m OK with that. Some of my best-selling photos were taken at eye level. But sometimes, changing where you shoot from is better. Here’s what I mean… Take, for instance, this photograph I shot at eye level: This photo has sold over 65 times on Istockphoto.com and it continues to sell today. I shot a dozen or so pictures of these women at eye level, and I submitted my favorite to Istock. (I couldn’t submit every photograph I shot because they all looked somewhat alike.) Until I changed my perspective that is. Take a look at this next shot…

Photo Composition Tip: Superman’s View

We’ll call this “Superman’s View.” Superman may have the advantage of being able to fly overhead, but all I had to do here was climb a few stairs and shoot down. My camera was still up on my eye, mind you, but I was standing much higher than my subjects. This picture has sold for me more than 300 times. So the next time you’re out shooting, ask yourself: What would happen if I took the same shot from a different perspective? Can you go up a few stairs to get a different view? How about kneeling down or even lying down onto your belly? Most people don’t do this. So if you can teach yourself to make this part of your regular routine, it’ll automatically give your photos an edge or advantage. That unique and often interesting point of view can translate into sales. Here’s one more example… Take this photo that was submitted for this month’s photo challenge:

Photo Composition Tip: The Frog’s Eye View

It’s a clever shot (better yet are the title and description — see www.thephotographerslife.com and look up this photo on the “Enter to Win” page to read them). But think of the various angles from which this shot could have been taken… The photographer could have taken it from overhead, looking down on top of both frogs… or gotten in closer, right down on the same level as the live frog (that would be a belly shot for sure). Or there might be a good shot from directly behind the frog — filling the frame and focusing on the live frog, leaving the statue frog slightly out of focus in the background. I can’t say for certain that any of these shots would be better, but I hope what you learn here is that you should start thinking along these lines — think frog’s eye view and Superman’s eye view. I challenge you to keep in mind that there’s more than one perspective to every photograph. Try a few variations every chance you get. At the very least, you’ll have more good images to choose from when you’re ready to sell them. ENTER TO WIN! If you’re a first-time user, you’ll need to register first on the “register” link on the right side bar. Once you have a username and password, click “Enter to Win” to upload your photo. Only one photo per applicant will be considered. Theme closes on the 26th! [Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel. Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]