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ArticleCan perspective in photography completely change the nature of photography?
Perspective is a tool of every artist, thanks to which he can give his work a unique depth. It also allows you to create an illusion, that is, a slight deception of the viewer’s senses. What are the types of perspective and in what circumstances is it worth using it?
What is perspective?
The concept of perspective applies not only to photography, but also to other visual arts, including painting and architecture. It is defined as a way of rendering three-dimensional objects and space in a photograph or painting. It involves projecting points onto a plane, with the importance of taking one of the points as the center of perspective. Using this technique, the photographer deforms the image seen. The depicted elements decrease in size with distance from the point of observation, making parallel lines converge and meet at a theoretically defined point.
What are perspectives in photography?
There are many varieties of perspective in photography. The most widely used is the linear technique, which is based on showing three-dimensional images with the impression of depth. Linear perspective has been used for several hundred years, and its foundations were developed by Leon Battista Alberti, a 15th-century painter, architect and poet from Italy. The essence of the technique is the apparent shrinking of objects as they move away from the viewer, and the theoretical convergence toward the horizon of the lines running from the photographer toward the observed image.
Linear perspective is divided into bird’s-eye, frog’s-eye, frontal, lateral and oblique. The first of these involves framing the image with the lens above the subject being photographed. In frog perspective, on the other hand, the camera should be positioned so that it is below the center of the observed element, making it appear larger than it really is. It is worth noting that the linear technique can have one, two or three points of convergence. Single-take perspective is considered the easiest to master.
Frog linear perspective
Frontal linear perspective
Bird’s eye linear perspective
What is forced perspective?
Forced perspective makes an object give the impression of being more or less distant and deformed in size. Its primary purpose is to deceive the viewer’s eyes. An example of forced perspective would be a photograph showing a man embracing the sun with his hands. This type of photography is therefore based on playing with scale. The farther the object is from the lens, the more it is reduced in size relative to the element in the foreground. In this way, you can create the illusion of a dog larger than a tree, a man larger than a skyscraper, etc.
Forced perspective
How can perspective be applied in photography?
Perspective allows a controlled transformation of reality. Although it focuses on form, it very often allows you to expose the hidden message of a photograph. However, perspective must be used consciously, otherwise the photo will become unreadable and kitschy. It is worth remembering that each technique has its advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, the type of perspective should be adjusted according to the object observed, the distance from the lens, the intention, etc.
The frog technique is great for photographers who want to emphasize the model’s assets while hiding minor imperfections. With the lens positioned below the poser’s midsection, the legs are optically elongated and the entire figure appears slimmer. The frog perspective, however, creates a certain distance between the model and the viewer of the photo. This is because the viewer perceives the poser as haughty, inaccessible, overconfident, looking down on others.
The bird’s-eye perspective, on the other hand, is not advisable when photographing people of short stature. It results in a shortened and “flattened” silhouette. However, its shortcomings can be exploited, for example, in photos taken of a man with large curves, as they will be much less visible in such a shot. Bird’s-eye perspective is also often used on women with very high foreheads.
Frontal perspective, on the other hand, is excellent when you want to capture a larger building or an area in a single image, but as it really is. It is often used for photographing monuments or large groups at a party or other gathering. It also works well, for example, in holiday photographs when the whole family is sitting around the table.
Although perspective seems a difficult and complex subject, in essence it is about playing with the image you see, creating its transformed reflection in a photograph. Therefore, it is worth using a variety of techniques or changing the framing to surprise viewers.
