Viewpoints1

1. Viewpoints, Camera Height,
Angle & Crop

2. Lesson Objectives
• To investigate the creative use of camera height
(viewpoint), camera angle and crop.
• Technical workbook assignment
To help complete these objectives, we will first
look briefly at the history of photography and its
relationship to art in general.

3. Did the great English painter
Joshua Reynolds painted
Admiral Keppel in 1752 he
tilted the view to make it
more dynamic?

4. Did the great English painter
Joshua Reynolds painted
Admiral Keppel in 1752 he
tilted the view to make it
more dynamic?

5. Did John Constable originally painted The Hay
Wain, (1821) at a jaunty angle to make the cart
look as if it was rolling backwards?

6. Did John Constable originally painted The Hay
Wain, (1821) at a jaunty angle to make the cart
look as if it was rolling backwards?

7. In the 17th century, did the artist
Rembrandt paint many self-portraits
with radical cropping, so that just part of
his face could be seen on the canvas?

8. In the 17th century, did the artist
Rembrandt paint many self-portraits
with radical cropping, so that just part of
his face could be seen on the canvas?

9. Did Da Vinci, originally paint the
Mona Lisa as if viewed from below?

10. Before the mid 19th century
Western art was representational
(not abstract), and ever since the
Renaissance it had attempted to
show the world as it really looked
to the ‘normal’ human eye.
Scenes were painted from ‘normal’
eye height, with horizon lines
horizontal and with the subject
seen fully (no crazy crops).

11. George Stubbs, Molly Long Legs, 1762
This is a typical 18th century (1700 – 1799) painting from
before the discovery of photography

12. Quite soon after its discovery
in 1837, photography started
to influence painting …

13. These paintings by Degas were
painted soon after the discovery of
photography.
How has photography influenced
Degas’ work?

14. In its early days photography modelled
its working practices on how painters
‘saw’ the world - photographing from
normal eye height, looking straight at
the subject, keeping horizon lines
horizontal and so on.
However, from the early 20th century
(1900 onwards) many photographers
began to realise that the camera could
‘see’ in very different ways and started
to experiment with strange crops,
camera angles and viewpoints.

15. Surprisingly, this ‘new way of seeing’ was
encouraged by the rising popularity of amateur
photography, made possible with the introduction
of cheap and easy to use Kodak cameras.
Early Kodak photographs were round.
Many amateur photographs had interesting crops
(such as cutting someone’s head off), or were taken at
strange angles, usually by accident!
Some professional photographers and artists were
influenced by these ‘wacky’ amateur images and
started to incorporate these techniques into their art.

16. Viewpoints and Camera Angles
There are still some more traditional ‘rules’ followed when
choosing a viewpoint and the effect that this has on an
image.
‘Student shared’ drive → ‘PHOTOGRAPHY’ folder → ‘Viewpoints and Effects’
• Match the definition to the image.
• Screen shot the finished slides and add them to your
Weebly Page.
Screen shot = cmd / shift / 4 → draw a selection box around what you
want to capture.

18. Landscapes – High viewpoint

19. Landscapes – High viewpoint
Landscape and location photographers routinely choose high viewpoints to shoot above
any obstructions to provide a more accurate sense of relative distance from foreground
to background.

20. Landscapes –
Lower angle

21. Landscapes – Lower
angle
Scenic shots often
benefit from a lower
shooting angle.
Choosing a low angle
emphasises what’s in
the foreground.

22. Nature – Low viewpoint

23. Nature – Low viewpoint
Plants and flowers often look better when you’re shooting at their level rather than looking
down at them from higher viewpoints. In many cases this will require placing the camera
near ground level.

24. Portraits
Slightly high viewpoint

25. Portraits
Slightly high viewpoint
A slightly high viewpoint is
common practice when
photographing people.
Portraits are generally more
flattering when taken from
slightly above the subject’s
eyeline, as it places less
emphasis on the nose,
nostrils and chin.

26. Portraits –
Low viewpoint

27. Portraits –
Low viewpoint
By looking up at your
subject from a lower
angle you make your
portrait subject look
more powerful and
important. Combined
with the right
expression it can also
help to make a
subject look
intimidating.

28. Portraits - Extreme high viewpoint

29. Portraits - Extreme high viewpoint
When you go for more extreme high angles the subject’s relationship with the
viewer changes. They become more subservient to the viewer and, depending on
the context, can look vulnerable or lost in their surroundings.

30. Notice how the cropping of
these photographs is quite
different to that of ‘traditional’
painting.
Cropping is now regularly used as a
creative tool by the adventurous
photographer
Cropping

31. Camera Angle
(by rotating the
camera)
Simply by rotating the camera, a
boring image can be made more
dynamic or exciting
Oblique / Canted Angle

32. Camera Height
(looking down on the
subject or looking up,
or just getting up high or
down low)
Finding an unusual
viewpoint can also add
excitement or interest to
an image.
Viewpoint

33. Viewpoints & Camera Angles
The viewpoint refers to the position
we take the photograph from. This will
also be the position you place the
viewer in when they are looking at
your finished shot. The viewpoint can
dramatically change the feel of the
photograph.

34. The viewer is often unable to see the whole object.
The subject of the photo is often only a small part
of the idea of the image.
Abstract Viewpoint

35. High Camera Angle
Where the camera looks down on the subject
from a high angle.

36. Low Camera Angle
A shot taken with the camera placed in a position
below and pointing upward at the subject.

37. Cropped
Cropping refers to the removal of the outer parts
of an image to improve framing, accentuate
subject matter or change aspect ratio.

38. Rat’s Eye View
Achieved by placing the base of the camera on,
or very close to, the ground when capturing a
shot.

39. Part Obscured
Photographing Through or around an object