I've always enjoyed others perspectives, whether they write it, draw it, speak it, sing it or take pictures of it.

So, let's see what you can do with "Perspective".

And remember, critiques are welcomed.

i like this prompt



edit...this pic looks clearer is you click it and view the full size version

This is a photo I took of my wife at the arch in St Louis. I was lying on the ground looking up to take the shot. The arch is huge, and it looks deceivingly small in the picture, because of the angle.

The Alaskan Pipeline.




Seward, Alaska.




(i can't decide which one to submit so i posted both)

i'm always impresed with your alaska pics

I've forgotten the name of this place, but this is a big market that leads up to a shrine in asakusa, tokyo. If you look closely, there's a bit of a Wheres Wally with a lanky old random foreigner.

Please click to view full-size.

This is tough...I dunno which to post.

Some good stuff so far. Buggy, i really like yours

Hey! That's Clements!

I've noticed something so far from all the submissions, in that they are all using "perspective" from a visual sense. Was that the intent behind this prompt, or were we looking for something a little less literal? As in say, a photo that would illustrate from the "perspective" of a child, or something like that? Or am I reading too much into this one?

Either way I like it .

In that case, let me present you with this picture from the perspective of a very near-sighted sheep:

Allow me to offer a few critiques before I decide which one of mine to post. Keep in mind that I am just learning the ropes myself, so i don't know everything about the game. I think all of these submissions have been great so far!


YouAre GivenToFly - I like this picture, the architecture is very nice. I just find the angle at which it was taken a bit distracting (disorienting maybe?). I feel that maybe if it were taken at a more rigid angle it might work a bit better. I do like the lighthing though.

Buggy - As always you take really beautiful photographs. This one works really well with the grey day. I like the juxtposition of the stone arch with the soft clouds. The only thing that would make it a bit better would be if your wife was in a bit better light. All in all this is my favorite by far

Jim - Definitely go with the second one. The first one is a bit average looking. The second one is very nice. I love how the masts of the boats and their reflection in the water lead your eye to the middle, almost like a hallway of sorts. Your photo's make Alaska look like such a beautiful place.

freeman - I like this one a lot as well. Similar to Jim's in that your eye is led down the center. Very busy and visually pleasing. My only complaint is similar to Buggy's in that i wish i could see the people in the foreground a bit better. Very nice though!

stuzzo - I like the colour in this one. The angle at which you took it is good, i like to see the rule of thirds in use. Like most perspective shots, your eye follows the lines, but i enjoy that there is still action going on in the "dead" space. The only thing i can suggest for you (and this is something i noticed in some of your other works as well) is that things come out blurry a lot. I know that it's tough to get a tripod into a concert , but for a shot like this, if you steadied yourself enough with your elbow on the ledge, it should come out OK. I would also suggest reading up on aperture/shutter speed as you may find it helpful in reducing blur and in getting better lighting in your shots. In this case maybe a faster shutter speed, but a wider aperture might have helped. I would have taken a dozen shots with different settings until i got it right...or gave up!

#42 - I'm gonna go with the weir shot as it is my favorite of the ones you posted. I really like your work. There isn't much I can say about this one other than that I really like it. The only thing that I would change us maybe having it in B&W. My reasoning is that the shot is pretty devoid of any vivid color anyways, so why not ditch the color altogether. I hope i'm not stepping on your toes by changing your piece, but I think it looks great this way:

I agree. It's a really nice shot and it's brought out even better in B&W

i'm no photographer, but buggy's picture of the arch reminded me of a couple of snaps i have from a few blocks away...

Well called on that, man. I do get some blur in almost all of my shots, particularly because I usually just take one shot, quickly, as you pointed out in the two concert photos. When I had time to take the shot, like I did with this, there's really no excuse for not doing it properly. I've really no idea what I'm doing - usually I just see something and try and capture the moment - so any advice you have on improving my shots is much appreciated. Glad to see the rule of thirds being appreciated; it's the one thing that makes my shots look like I actually know how to do this.

This came from a coffee shop in Belfast. There's a mirror running the whole way round the wall, and it has funky retro lighting. I just loved the way the lights ran straight, but when they were reflected they seemed to stretch to infity at different angles. That's pretty much where I was going with the perspective issue.

Here's a couple I took in China, not sure which one fits the bill better so I'm posting them both.

Well, like i said, i'm certainly not an expert on the subject. I'm sort of teaching myself by reading a few books. Obviously in the case of concert shots you don't have time to properly set up a shot and the constantly changing lighting makes it difficult. I find I get the best results in those situations when I turn my shutter speed up a little bit (say maybe 50-60 1000th/sec), and wait for a particularly bright point when all the lights are on. Normally this setting in a dark environment would be too dimly lit, which is why you wait til the bright lights come on. But that shutter speed, coupled with a fairly steady hand should give you a blur free shot.

Use this as an example. I took it at a Nine Inch Nails concert last year.




Another thing I would suggest is investing in a tripod, especially where you seem to find your best shots in low light environments where a shutter speed of less than 50 is needed. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big one. I carry around a little portable one like this. Its only about 5 inches long, and the legs can be expanded a bit, but it works wonders in stabilizing a shot, allowing me to use much slower shutter speeds.




One other thing I would suggest is doing some reading. You could buy a book, but more than likely there are plenty at your local library. They don't have to be specifically about digital cameras. The pricipals are all the same. Understanding the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and f-stops will do wonders for your work .