Lesson Info
16. Perspective
Lessons
Class Introduction - Three Steps To Creative Photography
03:48 2Firing The Creative Mind - Part 1: The Camera Points Both Ways
03:10 3Firing The Creative Mind - Part 2: Letting Go Of Judgement
06:53 4Firing The Creative Mind - Part 3: Detaching From Outcomes
04:12 5Practicing Mindfulness In Photography
02:43 6Finding The Visual Narrative
02:39 7Behind-the-scenes: Naples
07:52 8Seeing Beneath The Surface Of Things
02:30Finding Inspiration
03:19 10Slowing Down
03:57 11Three Reasons To Shoot RAW
02:29 12Choosing the Right Frame Format
03:52 13Don’t Be Limited By The Shape Of Your Camera
05:07 14WYSIWYG
04:15 15Choosing Lenses
05:02 16Perspective
02:44 17Considering Foreground And Background
03:10 18Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad But Three Into Two Is Better
03:43 19Separate And Isolate
02:32 20The Art Of Creative Exposure
06:38 21Focus On The Story
04:20 22The Passage Of Time
03:00 23Creating A Visual Sense Of Mood
04:24 24Color vs. Black & White
03:09 25The Decisive Moment
03:00 26Using Color As A Cohesive Tools
01:51 27Photography Is A Two-Part Process
06:55 28Case Study: Recreating The Art of Sumi-e
07:04 29Case Study: Making Something Out of Nothing
04:32 30Case Study: Moody Blues
03:29 31Image Reviews
03:02 32Image Review: The “Thinking Man”
01:55 33Image Review: The Golf Course
02:32 34Image Review: Dreamstate
02:38 35Image Review: Gone Fishing
02:24 36Image Review: Promenade
01:47 37Image Review: Sky and Reflections
01:57 38Image Review: Grass and Field
02:20 39Final Word: Show Me What The World Looks Like To You
04:44Lesson Info
Perspective
So let's talk about perspective. With high quality zoom lenses, Perspective is easily forgotten about so much easier to zoom in and out rather than change. Camera position is also more natural to take photographs standing up, so the majority of pictures are taken from this perspective roughly somewhere between five and 6 ft off the ground. The problem with this approach is if an image is shot from an obvious viewpoint from, let's say, a standing position, the perspective the camera records is familiar. Essentially, it's the same perspective anyone would have, so the resulting image won't necessarily reveal anything new. What helps turn a snapshot into a photograph is when we reveal aspects of life people don't normally see. That's why underwater and aerial photography are almost always compelling because we rarely perceive those worlds. So perspective is this fantastic compositional tool, and the reason I'm standing here is to show you what a difference it can make to your photography.
I'm in Weymouth, my hometown. I live just over there, and the image I'm working on, I've been meaning to take for a few months now. Of course, I've never gotten around to it because it's on my doorstep literally and who photographs anything on their own doorstep, right? My vision is to create an image that captures the sense of stillness. I feel on days like this, when the light is as soft as clouds and the mist is cloaking the distant horizon. It's a scene I have witnessed many times when I've stepped out for an early morning walk on the beach. Now this is the easiest standpoint for this shot. I can zoom in to frame my scene, and this is the image I get. But it's not the shot I want for the shot I want. I need to change my perspective. I've come right down to the shoreline, and that's going to allow me to use a wider lens. Now, the importance of the wide lenses it creates a sense of openness and space, and that's a critical edition to my visual narrative. Also, it means I can get down much lower to change camera angle, which for this shot is important because I want the horizon line to run perfectly into the line between the pier and the sea. So this is my considered shot, and when we compare it with the original, There is a marked difference in visual impact. The original is a snapshot. This is a photograph, camera, position, angle and choice of lens are what create perspective and perspective is a vital tool in creating compelling images that reveal hidden stories about the world around us. And that's what makes photographs stand out from the crowd. Now go away so I can get back up without losing my dignity.
Ratings and Reviews
Gary Hook
Wow, what a wonderful journey. I love the concept of telling a story with one's photos and as I go through past images, I'm seeing them in a much different perspective. That's the good news, The bad? The lost opportunities I never 'saw' before; however that is a good thing. There is so much to internalize with the material so that it can get out of the head and into the 'heart'. I also found the concept really helps me with composition, both in camera and post. Biggest take away, as Chris underscored in his closing, is to slooooow down, take the time and feel it. Don't be so quick to leave one scene as there remain other aspects, yet to be discovered. A great experience that I truly enjoyed Thank you
Glenda
I loved this course - in particular the latter part of it in which he demonstrated how post processing lets you really tell the story of the image. Another fabulous course. Thanks Chris & thanks Creative Live.
Abdullah Alahmari
Thanks a lot to mr. Chris Weston This course is great and It is a 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 course for me. Beside the other course ( mastering photographic composition and visual storytelling) both courses are Complementing to each other and highly recommended.
Student Work
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Fundamentals