As upright humans, we are largely accustomed to seeing the world from a limited vantage point. At least this holds true for most adults—children are much better at crawling, climbing, exploring, turning things over, and looking up. We lose this sense of wonder and exploration over time, but finding it again can dramatically improve our photography. After all, wouldn’t you rather see an image taken in a fresh way, rather than how you see a scene every day? Images photographed from odd angles catch the eye and inspire the imagination. Photographing from an unusual vantage point can also help to tell a story about a subject, or emphasize an important feature. Give it a try!
Get Low. Get down on your knees (knee pads can help!) or even your belly to capture wildlife, children, and low-lying objects from “inside their world.” Getting to your subject’s (eye) level can increase empathy for the subject, and help to isolate it from the ground. You can also lay on your back and shoot straight up at a scene for a new point of view. Try trees or cityscapes!
Get High. Photographing from straight above gives a rarely seen perspective, and can help to increase our understanding of a subject. You can use a drone for this approach if you have one, or shoot downwards from a tall building window, or even climb a ladder or stand on a chair depending on your subject.
Show the Unexpected. Nearly every object has an angle from which we are most used to viewing it, but what if you showed it from another side? What could you reveal?
Find an unusual point of view this week, and show off your results on our Muench University Facebook page. Our pros will be waiting to offer helpful commentary, and we also encourage you to leave comments on each other’s images. Let’s have some fun with this one!
