Raising the Bar on Your Photographs - Change It Up!

10/13/2017

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Intro by Skip Cohen

Suzette Allen is back with the perfect post to head into the last quarter of the year and the seasonality of 2017 - a solid reminder of how important it is to change it up and look at capturing images from a different perspective.

Whether you're a relatively new photographer or a veteran artist, everyone tends to get too comfortable in their technique. You forget to change the recipe and experiment with the way you capture images.

It's only natural since so many people live by that old line of, "If it ain't broke don't fix it!" Well, years ago business author Tom Peters said, "If it ain't broke, you haven't looked hard enough!"

For most of you, Suzette's suggestions are pretty basic, but she's not sharing the ideas to teach you photography, but remind you to step away from the routine, and work to give your images a different perspective.

That same philosophy is the backbone of Photodex! Slideshows are hardly a new idea, but the creative tools they've developed together with today's camera technology has given thousands of artists the ability to change it up with their presentations to clients, new products for their clients and an incredible tool for self-promotional marketing. They never slow down in their efforts to help you raise the bar on the quality of your storytelling.

Click on either of the banners below for an introduction to all the new features in ProShow9 and the Photodex/SCU contest to search for the best self-promotional video.

by Suzette Allen

When it comes to photography, what makes people stop and look? What book covers get their attention? What ads draw the eye, what images stop the proverbial thumbs on social media?

Having an understanding of how to accomplish that is huge and will give you a leg up on your marketing, your portfolio, your influence, and your communication skills, to name a few!
Of course, there are many factors that come into play- some of the most common being color, contrast, impact, storytelling, use of space, subject matter, emotional appeal, composition, etc. This is not meant to be an exhaustive article on all the ways to make a riveting photograph. However, I do want to focus on one simple tool that is sure to get the eye’s attention that can be done with any photograph, any subject, anytime.

That element is perspective! We are naturally drawn to seeing things in a different way than we usually see them. Even common scenes and objects take on fresh appeal when seen from a unique or fresh perspective. One of the simple ways I usually apply this is to simply kneel or squat down when I shoot. We always see life from about five feet off the ground. Just shooting from the ground level really changes the scene! As a side note, I love my fully articulating viewfinder on all my Lumix cameras too, because it means I can do that without laying on the ground! (I can also shoot from a high angle over my head and still see!)

Another way to do that is change the lens. Using a wide angle or fisheye alters the perspective and the way it looks too. It’s just different from how our natural eye sees things. Here’s a few ideas to change up the way you see and give your images a fresh perspective and a whole lot more impact.

Shoot from a high angle, or low angle. Actually, you can do it with your camera sitting on the ground too!