IT DEPENDS ON YOUR POINT OF VIEW

IT DEPENDS ON YOUR POINT OF VIEW - This Buddhist monk seems more than willing to get down on his knees in order to obtain just the right point of view to capture images of tourists visiting the Buddhist temple located on Doi Suthep, a mountain outside Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city. I was recently asked by a fellow photographer for some input on how to obtain interesting points of view, so here goes. If every time you shoot a subject, you shoot straightforward at eye level, your photography can become quite boring very quickly. Here are some suggestions though for adding a bit of oomph to your photographs. Look up. Pointing your lens upward from a low vantage point pretty much automatically adds interest. If you're photographing a person, this is a method for making the subject appear taller. Shooting up from a slightly low angle will render the subject as simply tall and imposing. Think for instance an intimidating Gunfighter.Get a bit lower and shoot at a more pronounced upward angle and you have Paul Bunyan. Photograph a person from above with the camera lens pointed just slightly down and you will render the subject shorter than in real life. Turn Harlem Globetrotter Jesse into Pygmy Pete. Or shoot from the fifth floor balcony of the hotel and capture a bird's eye view of the swimming pool. Another neat trick that works under certain conditions with a person, or with a statue, is to shoot just the lower portion of the figure. I photographed the feet and lower legs of a golden statue at one of the Buddhist temples in Northern Thailand. Although the statue was about life size, the photos gives the impression that the figure was of monumental height. Which way you turn your camera can have a significant effect on the look and feel of your image. Try shooting the subject holding the camera first in portrait mode, then in landscape mode. Then be daring. Turn the camera topsy turvy, and see what you get. Another great idea is to use extreme telephoto and extreme wide angle settings. Shoot close up using a n extreme wide angle lens to distort your subject. Literally get inside or almost inside your subject. The point is to force yourself, and the viewer, to see the world in a new and different way. So go out and take a different view of your surroundings and discover a whole new perspective in regard to the art of photography LARRY ELKINS - ELKINSPHOTOS FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY