Saturday, January 3, 2015

Pick your angle



When I watch folk taking quick shots with their point-and-shoot cameras, I'm often amazed at how little thought they put into the angle from which they take the picture. All too often, the shooter simply lifts the camera to eye level and fires off a shot or two.

Quick doesn't have to be dirty. One can shoot fast and still tell a clear story. When my granddaughter, Fiona, made a tower of linked markers, I picked a high vantage point for shooting the picture. I wanted to accent the height of the marker tower while getting a good clear shot of my granddaughter. The high angle fulfilled both wishes.

And looking up caused the little girl's eyes to sparkle with highlights caused by the nearby window. Highlights add life to eyes. Highlights should rarely be ignored.

The next time you are taking some pictures, try thinking before you shoot. Try to accent whatever is important to your picture story. Get down low, climb on a chair, move. Release your inner creative self and not just the shutter button.