What Is Perspective Photography?
Perspective photography refers to the spatial distance between various objects within your frame. Different perspectives in photography can be explored by experimenting with depth of field, different focal lengths, or by simply changing your vantage point as a photographer.
Perspective in photography is all about finding a unique point of view as the photographer. An interesting perspective has the power to elevate something ordinary into a memorable work of art.
Types of Perspective Photography
Linear Perspective
Linear perspective uses converging lines to create depth within a picture. Pictures with a linear perspective will feature some element of leading lines and a horizon line with a vanishing point. That horizon line can be placed anywhere in the frame.
A photograph with linear perspective can either have a one-point perspective, two-point perspective, or three-point perspective. The number of points in the perspective relates to how many vanishing points exist within a single frame.
Linear perspective is a popular choice for landscape and architecture photographers. The combination of leading lines and horizon lines help you direct the viewer’s eye around the frame and naturally bring them to the most important parts of the image.
Forced Perspective
Forced perspective in photography can create an optical illusion of certain elements within the frame being larger or smaller than they are in real life. Popular images of people who appeal to be holding the Eiffel Tower between their fingers is an example of forced perspective photography.
To achieve forced perspective, simply place the larger elements in the background of your frame and smaller ones in the foreground. Using a telephoto lens and a stopped down aperture will help compress the space between the two objects and make the optical illusion more pronounced.
Forced perspective shouldn’t just be used for cheesy vacation photos though. This perspective style can also be a great storytelling technique for conceptual photographers.
Aerial Perspective
Also known as atmospheric perspective, aerial perspective refers to the way that light, color, and contrast change as the distance between objects and the photographer increases.
Consider a picture of a mountain range during sunset or sunrise. The peaks that are closer to the photographer’s camera will appear much darker than the peaks that are farther in the distance.
High-Angle Perspective
Not to be confused with aerial perspective, high-angle perspective—also referred to as a bird’s-eye perspective—refers to placing the camera above the subject. It will make subjects appear smaller in the frame and also emphasize the scale of whatever environment you are photographing.
Low-Angle Perspective
The opposite of high-angle perspective, a low-angle perspective is when you place the camera below the subject. Also referred to as a bug’s-eye perspective, it can have a more playful effect than shooting from a high-angle view.
Viewpoint vs. Perspective in Photography
Although these two terms are often used interchangeably, they are two different concepts—although they certainly can influence one another.
While viewpoint refers to the physical location where a picture was taken, perspective refers to the spatial distance between objects within a frame.
Changing your viewpoint as a photographer can obviously influence the perspective of a photo, but perspective can also be changed without physical movement to a new location.
A camera and a creative mind are the most important tools for experimenting with perspective in your photography. However, the type of gear you choose in addition to this can help you better define the perspective you are hoping to achieve.
Lenses for Different Perspectives
The lens that you attach to your camera has the biggest influence on perspective. Wide-angle lenses will give you a very different perspective than a longer telephoto lens.
Wide-Angle Lenses
A wide-angle lens is anything around 35mm. These lenses are wider than the field of view of the human eye. Lenses that are wider than 24mm will offer more of a fish-eye effect.
Wide-angle lenses require you, as the photographer, to get physically closer to whatever you are photographing. They can be great for capturing beautiful landscapes, street photography, or action photos.
Telephoto Lenses
Telephoto lenses produce a tighter field of view and are typically anything over 85mm. Using a telephoto lens means that you don’t have to be as physically close to your subject, but will also condense everything in your frame, making background elements appear larger and closer than they might actually be.
Tilt-Shift Lenses
This specialty lens offers a unique perspective with its ability to selectively focus while remaining extremely sharp. Tilt-shift lenses are generally expensive and have a bit of a learning curve.
But its deep focusing capabilities make it a hit with architecture photographers, nature photographers, and even portrait and wedding photographers.
Tripods and Stabilizers for Steady Shots
A sturdy travel tripod is a great tool for perspective photography, especially if you find yourself experimenting with long exposures in nature or while shooting in an urban environment.
A small tripod or stabilizer with wrap-around legs can be a good choice if you are looking to physically mount your camera to something to capture an interesting high- or low-angle perspective.
5 Tips on How to Take a Perspective Photo
1. Experiment with Each Perspective
Experimenting with different perspectives while shooting a single subject is a great way to see just how POV can change a picture.
Start with a linear perspective with a single vantage point, then re-compose within your frame to add more. Then try placing something intentionally in the foreground to create an image with forced perspective. Position yourself high above your subject, and then shoot some frames when you are positioned below your subject.
Changing your point of view when shooting a single subject is a great tool for finding what perspective works best for you.
2. Try Different Focal Lengths
The length of lens that you use has a huge influence on the perspective of your pictures. Online simulators can help you visualize how a different focal length might change your final image, but getting hands-on experience with different lenses in the field will help you learn faster.
3. Change Your Aperture
Only working with a single lens? Simply changing the aperture can influence the perspective. Shooting at higher apertures with the lens stopped down will make objects more in focus in a frame (great for making pictures with forced perspective), while shooting wide open at a lower aperture will create images with more out-of-focus elements.
4. Experiment with Long Exposures
A long exposure can change your perspective by simply slowing down time. Just make sure to bring along a tripod so that you can prevent camera shake while shooting.
5. Shoot from the Hip
Shooting without your eye to the viewfinder may seem counterproductive if you are trying to master perspective photography, but it can actually be a great way for breaking away from old habits and discovering something new.
If you are struggling to find a fresh perspective in your photography, allowing yourself to experiment and shoot a bit from the hip can help you see the world with fresh eyes.