How to Master Perspective

What comes to mind when someone asks you, “What does it take to create great photos?”

Some people might answer talent, others may say years of experience, and the absolute most dreaded answer “hmm… about $30,000 of equipment.”

Luckily, learning the fundamentals is often free. If you have a camera of any sort you can begin to take amazing shots by learning this foundational principle of photography.

This principle is Perspective, and I’m going to show you how to utilize perspective to drastically improve your photos.

First, what is Perspective?

Perspective is the relationship between objects within a scene as well as the relationship between the objects and the viewer. It is used to imply motion and create depth in images. Essentially, perspective is what makes a two-dimensional image appear three-dimensional to our eyes.

Perspective is what makes photographs look structured and orderly. So understanding it will unlock doors to some really engrossing photographs.

You may have noticed a problem in your photography. You arrive somewhere and a scene just jumps out at you. You get your camera out and capture it the best you can. But when you get home and start editing the image looks flat and uninspiring. Thankfully the problem isn’t your equipment or whether you have the latest version of Photoshop.

Here are some simple techniques you can implement immediately to avoid drab, dour images and skyrocket your photos appeal!

When shooting a scene, it’s easy to get into the bad habit of simply standing there and shooting, or shooting continually from a tripod. The problem with this strategy is you’ll end up shooting the scene from the same angle that everyone sees in real life. This translates to boring, unoriginal, and uninspired photography.

Simple solution: Go high, go low.

Photographing the same subject from either a high or low angle can immediately create an image that’s both novel and interesting to the viewer. By changing the angle of the photograph you can showcase aspects of the subject that are not otherwise seen or emphasized.

The foreground is the section of the image closest to the viewer, relative to all other sections. You can utilize the foreground to create a greater sense of depth in your photos. By emphasizing an object close to the viewer versus objects in the background, a sense of depth is created. When composing your photographs using foreground keep in mind how the viewer’s eye will travel from foreground to background. This will allow you to add depth to an otherwise flat picture.

Leading lines are a concept that almost can’t quite be described adequately. When you see them you recognize them right away. They are an indispensable tool for crafting powerful images. Essentially it is the use of lines in the image to draw the eye to a certain point or to emphasize depth. Similar to leading lines are paths, which lead the eye to a vanishing point instead of a subject. A few examples below.

You’ll notice that for the lines to be effective they have to consistently move the eye toward the subject. Lines that don’t or different sets of lines that conflict, do more harm than good to your composition. You don’t want to confuse the viewer or the effect will be lost.

If you’ve been having problems getting your photos to really capture the eyes of your viewers, or if they simply feel uninspiring, implementing these three tips can give your photos the secret ingredient they’ve been missing. If possible try revisiting some scenes you have already photographed and try some of these techniques out.

Let me know how you make out in the comments below.

Happy snapping.

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