You can make your photos more exciting, memorable, and beautiful by creatively using different camera angles. In this article, we are going to explain how angles affect photography and what you can do to use them effectively for capturing stunning photographs.
It is also a breeze to use camera angles even if you seldom held a camera in your life. You can dramatically change camera angles just by moving it from left and right or high and low. Taking images from different angles will make them beautiful irrespective of the camera you are using or your skill level. You can even employ the same technique with your smartphone and it will deliver creative images.
The importance of angles in photography is undeniable. The direction from which you shoot can make or break your photos. Even the subtle camera movement can totally change the vibe and nature of your images. Therefore, you must not ignore photography angles and techniques while framing your subject.
Why are Angles Important in Photography
The followig video by PhotographyTV elaborates why you should pay special attention to camera angles while taking photos.
10 Different Angles in Photography
There are perhaps hundreds of angles from which you can capture your subject. However, the following are the most popular or common camera angles to choose from.
1. Eye Level of Fact to Face Angle
Eye level or face-to-face angle shots are taken at the eye level of your subject. It is one of the most common and engaging angles to use. It develops a personal connection between the subject and the person viewing the photo.
Eye level is also the most familiar perspective for viewers. The best way to implement this technique is to look at the eyes of the subject instead of taking your eyes as a reference.
You are also not doing it right if your camera is tilting up or down. Sometimes the subject is taller than you. The solution to this problem is holding your camera above your head and turning on the live view. On the other hand, you can crouch or kneel for shorter persons.
Persons can look awkward when they look straight into the camera. To avoid this, ask them to look at anything behind the camera.
Eye Level is also the perfect option for portraits.
2. Close Up Angle for Intimate Portraits
Among the most creative and useful camera angles is the close-up. Offering just the ideal distance between the subject and the camera, it produces a welcoming and warm ambiance in the images. The distance is not too distant nor too aggressive.
Consider the usual distance between you and the other person when both of you are talking to each other. It is the distance you and your subjects should have while shooting portraits. However, don’t invade their personal space by getting too close.
Although close-up is the most commonly used angle for portraits yet is widely applied to still life images as well.
3. Include Facial Details in Extreme Close-ups
You must go for an extreme close-up angle if you want to focus on facial features such as eyes. It allows you to get extremely close to your subject and create a more intimate space between both of you.
It makes your photos more personal as well as help viewer see finer details, something not possible with regular close-ups.
Extreme close-ups offer a lot of benefits but it has a major drawback. People can become claustrophobic due to extremely short distances.
Many people may also be offended or feel uncomfortable by the confrontational nature of the photographs. Similarly, you cannot show the entire face or subject when you focus solely on one area.
4. Low Angle Shots
Looking down while taking shots is one of the most basic photography angles. Low angle shots not only help you change the perspective but also make your images more interesting and pleasant.
Your subject such as a person, animal, or an object, can look much bigger than it is in low angle photos. It is also the ideal perspective if you want them to stand out from the surroundings or look dominant.
Low angle also imparts a touch of drama to your photos. The movement looks intense because the legs in such shots appear enormous. That is why most action scenes in movies use this angle a lot.
Subjects in these types of photos look unattractive because you shot from below. This is a major disadvantage when it comes to taking beautiful portraits.
They also look out of proportion making them look terrifying on some occasions. Therefore, you must determine beforehand whether or not it is the right perspective for you by taking some experimental shots.
5. Include Background Using High Angle
Low angle shots make your subject look bigger. What if you want them to look tiny and less threatening? Then, you should use a high camera angle. The subjects will look tiny because you are shooting from above.
You can also evoke a lot of physiological effects on the person viewing the photos courtesy of this angle. For example, the subjects such as the girl in the above image look small and thus weaker than she is.
Similarly, the subject will look like flying if you take pictures from a little more height.
6. The Bird’s Eye View Angle
The bird’s eye view angle clearly demonstrates how angles affect photography. It will entirely change the perspective of the high angle shots and take them to even new heights.
The only difference between the high angle and bird’s eye shots is that the latter is taken from a considerably more height.
The advent of drones has made bird’s eyes view photography significantly easy as you have to take photos essentially from the sky. Another method is to climb to the top of a tower or a building and take ground photos by pointing your camera downward.
Your subjects will look extremely small in these kinds of photos just like people and cars look from an airplane. Sometimes, it feels like you are looking at a diorama if your take pictures from such a height.
Bird’s eye view angle also creates spectacular architecture and landscape photos because you can cover more area.
7. Dutch Angle for Edgy Images
Tilting or Dutch angle offers an unusual perspective, making your photos look tense. People are used to seeing only straight photos. Shooting images from an angled camera or frame results in unconventional photos and instantly catch the eye of the viewers.
People also feel uncomfortable because of the unbalanced photos. That is why horror movies frequently use this kind of camera angle.
However, some photographers use the Dutch angle to introduce adventure and thrill in their photographs. It enhances your subject’s movements by adding an illusion of motion. Unsurprisingly, directors of actions movies are also big fans of the Dutch angle.
8. Wide Angle Shots
Wide angle is one of the most misunderstood camera angles in photography. It is not about positioning yourself relevant to the subject. The beauty is hidden in how it twists various elements in the photos.
You can make every photo unique and even more creative by using a wide camera angle. For example, it can also work similarly to low angle and make your subject look bigger and out of proportion.
Another use of wide angle is taking beautiful long shots. The surroundings becomes more noticeable and the subject tiny when you take photos from a distance.
Of course, wide angle is the best angle for taking stunning architecture, nature, wildlife, and landscape images as well. It also helps you cover a wide angle of view and include more scenery in the image.
Therefore, wide angle provides some really good angles to take pictures and the result is remarkable every time.
9. The Beauty of the Long Shots
The long shot is one of the most important photography angles of view. It means capturing images from a distance to show the environment or surroundings of your subjects.
The most common uses of long shot angles are photographing lobbies, streets, parks, and landscapes, etc. It primarily focuses on the subject’s location and provides more information about it to the viewers.
The tip to remember here is that you should include the entire body of the subject, from head to toe, in long shots.
10. Also, Try Extreme Long Shots
If you want to add a real sense of the scale compared to the subject, you must use the extreme long shot angle. It explicitly shows how big the location is where the subject is roaming around.
For instance, the trees and the sky should occupy most of the image space if you are shooting someone in a park. Or, the ocean should take most of the space if you are taking picture of a surfer.
The concept behind the long shot and extreme long shot is the same. However, you take extreme long shots from a considerably greater distance.
Final Thoughts
I hope our guide about how angles affect Photography has explained the importance of camera angles in detail. Creative use of angles can deliver exceptionally beautiful, exciting, and engaging photos. Therefore, you should learn how to use camera angles to take your images to the next level.