Angle of View
By changing your camera angle, you can change the viewpoint of your photos, along with their tone and impact. A scene will change dramatically when it is shot from above or below as opposed to eye level. You may need to get down on the ground or sit high up in the stands at a football game to achieve the results you're seeking.
When do I use high or low angles of view?
High or low angles of view can be used to reveal patterns and textures not normally perceived at eye level, simplify a composition, isolate a subject against the sky or a plain background, or eliminate a cluttered environment.
Because we usually view the world from eye level, photos taken at a normal eye-level angle communicate realism. We can give power to objects by shooting them from below, so that they appear to tower over us. By shooting from above, objects become diminished, but the arrangement of objects often becomes more discernible.
The angle of view can have a dramatic impact on open landscape images. When you shoot from a low angle, more sky is revealed and the spaciousness of the landscape is emphasized. When you shoot from a high angle, the horizon is positioned near the top of the image and the land may seem to stretch out to infinity. Photos of children are often much better when shot from a child's point of view rather than an adult's. Experienced photographers often stand on a table or go up to a balcony to get an overview shot of an event.
Try taking a series of pictures of the same scene from different angles of view. How does the angle of view affect the emphasis of the picture? What is being communicated by each image? As Ansel Adams, the famous photographer, said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.”
The LCD monitor allows you to hold the camera high above your head for unusual high shots. While this takes some getting used to, this ability gives the digital camera additional power over traditional film cameras when it comes to camera angle and point of view.
