How To Get A Flat Picture to Become A Creative Picture

Level:  Easy

Camera Type:  Any

Length of Post:  Medium

Let's pretend that someone asked me to take a picture of a sign on their front door.

This is the sign.

The first picture I took (above) is pretty boring...just a sign.  Nothing in the picture makes you go "wow."

This is what I call a "flat" picture.  It has no creativity, no different perspective.

So I got on the floor and aimed my camera up at the sign instead of standing level-to-level with it.  This is what I got:

 Compare this picture to the one before this one.  Which one looks more creative?  Which one gives you another perspective than what you would see as you walked in our door?

One of the main reasons of photography is to give another person a different perspective on something than what they would normally see (among other things).  That is what makes a picture "stand out."

I took some more pictures of the sign from different angles too:

Here I focused on the "Peace" angel instead of "The Wassenbergs" yet you can still see our name in the background.

Here I focused on the "love" angel.

And here I focused just on the last name.

If you were looking to have the entire sign in the picture - than this is your picture.  It's not like the first one where I was level-to-level, I was still on the floor aiming my camera up towards the sign.

See how many pictures I got out of the same sign?  They're all focused on something else and they all give you a perspective other than what you would see on the door when you walked in the house.

In this picture of the angels wreath I was standing above the sign on a bench.  (Not very safe, but it worked!) 

You rarely want to take pictures from the same angles that everyone in the world sees them at.  Always try and be to the sides, below it, above it, etc. and it will improve your pictures greatly and give them a unique air!

Here I show you two pictures...both of the "Love" angel.

Look at them closely.  Which picture was I level-to-level with the angel?  Which was I not?  Which gives a perspective to someone else of the angel than what they would normally see?  Which one do you like better and why?  (It's okay to like the level-to-level look too!)

Here again is an angel with a different angle.

The sign from another angle and perspective.

Just remember:  when you go to take a picture of something (I'm speaking of things not necessarily living things) always look at what you're going to take a picture of.   Ask yourself "What can I do to get a different perspective on this?" "How does everyone else see it and how can I get people to see it differently?" etc.

Now go experiment!

Delighting in Jesus,

Kimber :)