There are many things a photographer has to take into consideration when composing a phenomenal picture, but one that you don’t often think about is perspective. In an educational article over on National Geographic, photographers Cary Wolinsky and Bob Caputo — who have a combined 64 years of experience shooting for NatGeo — talk about how important it can be to “Get Some Perspective,” sharing some helpful tips and tricks they’ve come up with along the way.
It’s good to have a little perspective–to know where you stand and just how big (or small) your world and the things in it are. Most pictures we see include something we recognize–a person, a house, a car, or something else that we already know the size of. Like leaves. We think we know what size leaves are. And usually we’re right [...] But photographs can be deceptive, especially in this age of easy photo manipulation.
Check out the entire article, complete with examples, over on National Geographic. And when you’re done there, head over to Wolinsky and Caputo’s website PixBoomBa for more helpful (and oftentimes funny) photography tips.
World travel bloggers Michael Powell and Jürgen Horn recently visited the The Trick Eye Museum in South Korea, where visitors can snap humorous and mind-bending pictures of themselves interacting with various painted rooms. They write,
If you don’t like having your picture taken, stay far away from the Trick Eye Museum, which is also not recommended for anyone who’s overly serious. Or those who have any semblance of pride. Basically, if you’re not willing to act like an idiot in front of the camera, you won’t have any fun here. But everyone else, and especially kids, should prepare for a good time.
The entire point of this “museum” is to provide setups for funny pictures. An upside-down room makes it look like you’re standing on the ceiling. Stand in front of Mona Lisa with a paintbrush. Lay down on the floor and hang on for dear life to the painting of a cliff.
Here’s a creative series of photographs by photographer Nithin Rao Kumblekar. He shot models from above as they sprawled out on the ground over intricate chalk drawings, using perspective to blend them into the scenes. The work reminds us of Jan von Holleben’s ‘Dreams of Flying’ project, except chalk is used instead of props. Read more…
What would various indoor spaces look like if you were a fly on a ceiling? Photographer Menno Aden answers that question with his photo series titled “Room Portraits“. He shoots from an interesting overhead perspective, capturing everything from bedrooms to dentist offices. Read more…
Most people are familiar with the famous Tank Man photo taken by AP Photographer Jeff Widener as tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square on June 5th, 1989. Taken from a 6th floor balcony of the Beijing hotel, the iconic version we’ve come to know is only one of 4 very similar photos taken that same moment. Read more…
During the 9/11 attacks in NYC, Magnum photographer Thomas Hoepker shot what is perhaps the most controversial image created that day: a photo that appears to show a group of young people casually enjoying themselves while the World Trade Center burns in the background. Hoepker kept the image under wraps for four years and then caused quite a stir after publishing it in a 2006 book. Columnist Frank Rich wrote in the New York Times that “The young people in Mr. Hoepker’s photo aren’t necessarily callous. They’re just American.” Read more…
YouTube member Syejukoon mounted a GoPro camera to the back of his corgi named Riley using a customized backpack, and then went hiking with Riley in Los Angeles’ Runyon Canyon Park.
Photographer Pep Ventosa made these abstract composite images of carousels in various amusement parks around the world by photographing them from multiple angles and then blending the photographs together. Read more…
To capture a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to photograph a wedding, photographer Jaroslav Repta mounted a GoPro video camera to his DSLR and used it to film his camera’s point of view throughout the wedding day. The video above shows this footage along with the resulting photographs that were delivered to the couple.
Photographer Zander Olsen creates amazing optical illusions by wrapping trees with white linen, lining up the ends of the material with the horizon line in the background. Read more…
