{"id":74725,"date":"2017-12-24T10:50:28","date_gmt":"2017-12-24T18:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=74725"},"modified":"2017-12-24T10:52:42","modified_gmt":"2017-12-24T18:52:42","slug":"photo-technique-look-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/24\/photo-technique-look-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Photo Technique: Look Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

To be more creative, and to learn how to have more child-like delight in photography, LOOK UP!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"Conquer<\/a><\/p>\n

London, NYC, Kyoto, Tokyo:<\/p>\n

See upcoming experiences<\/a><\/p>\n

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See the streets from the perspective of a child<\/h2>\n
\"Low
Low angle urban landscape. Uji, Kyoto 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mistake:<\/p>\n

\n We always keep our eyes at street level.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think all photographers would benefit by looking up more often.<\/p>\n

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1. What is in the sky?<\/h2>\n
\"Airplane
Airplane silhouette. Sapa, Vietnam 2016. Negative space allowing the airplane to exit the frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By looking up, you just see more things you might over-look, like airplanes passing you.<\/p>\n

Or, you might miss out on beautiful clouds and sunsets.<\/p>\n

\"eric
Lovely photo by Fujifilm x100 Camera. Bangkok, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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2. Unique perspective<\/h2>\n
\"Barbed
Kyoto, 2017. Google Nexus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset. From low-angle, looking up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another mistake we make in photography:<\/p>\n

\n We keep hunting for very extraordinary subjects or scenes, and pass up ordinary scenes.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think photography is more interesting when we identify ordinary scenes, and we make the ordinary scene or subject look more interesting, by transforming it through unique composition or perspective.<\/p>\n

\"Looking
Looking up. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking
Looking up. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For example, getting close to a wall, and making photos just looking up. This is why I like architecture photography<\/a> — both for the back workout (like doing yoga stretches), but having that child-like sense of wonder, looking up. Because when you are a child, you’re always looking up.<\/p>\n

For example, while in Kyoto, I saw this car on a lift:<\/p>\n

\"Green
Green car on lift. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shot from far-away, it is an OK photo.<\/p>\n

But, it gets much more interesting when you get close to it, and shoot from a more unusual perspective — directly beneath. Because we rarely see the underneath of a car (unless you’re a mechanic):<\/p>\n

\"Rusty
Shot from under the car. Rusty muffler. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or get at the bottom of a flight of stairs, and photograph your subject, looking up — for a more dynamic perspective:<\/p>\n

\"Diagonal
Diagonal photo of Cindy, in Uji Kyoto 2017. Shot from the bottom of a flight of stairs looking up.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Get on the ground, and shoot up<\/h2>\n
\"Low
Getting on the ground, and shooting a low angle photograph of kids. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another idea to make better photos looking up — get on the ground, and shoot looking up with a wide-angle lens, like a 28mm lens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Or you can put your camera on the ground, and point it upwards, to get a unique low-angle perspective<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Perspective
Perspective lines in red. Low angle photograph of kids. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bodies
Bodies of boys in different colors. Perspective lines in red. Low angle photograph of kids. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bodies
Bodies of boys in different colors. Perspective lines in white. Low angle photograph of kids. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Bodies
Bodies of boys in different colors. Low angle photograph of kids. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Crouch down low<\/h2>\n
\"Crouching
Crouching low, and shooting up — which connects the diagonal lines on top to his head, making a more interesting photo. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or you don’t have to get super low — just crouch down, and shoot up. This will help simplify your background, and make your subject look ‘larger than life’.<\/p>\n

\"Crouching
Crouching down, shooting a street portrait of this man. Kyoto, 2017 \/\/ Ricoh GR II x 28mm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Diagonals while looking up<\/h2>\n
\"Looking
Looking up, diagonal composition. Traffic light. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you look up, shoot from a diagonal composition, to create a more dynamic composition<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6. What does the ceiling look like?<\/h2>\n
\"Ceiling
Yellow tones. Ceiling clouds. New York Public Library. Pentax 645Z<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When we go into buildings or admire architecture — unless we are in Rome, we rarely look at the ceilings.<\/p>\n

\"Poetry,
Library of Congress ceiling.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look at the ceilings– appreciate the decoration of the roof, and study the materials. Also by not looking up, you often over-look beautiful artwork on the ceiling.<\/p>\n

7. Do we know what that looks from underneath?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The nice thing about looking up — you find more subjects and objects to photograph, and you get a unique view– because most of us don’t know what ordinary things look like from low angles.<\/p>\n

\"Peeling
Peeling paint on ceiling. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Blue
Blue abstract. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Leading lines<\/h2>\n
\"Portrait
Portrait of Cindy, shot from a super-low angle with 28mm on RICOH GR II. Uji, Kyoto 2017. Note the leading lines in the top of the frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you want to make better compositions with leading lines, by looking up, and by getting super low, you can get lines\/lights on the ceiling point to your subject.<\/p>\n

9. Interesting architectural details<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"eric<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another tip: If you’re going to shoot while looking up, fill the frame.<\/p>\n

\"Bangkok
Filling the frame when looking up. Bangkok x FUJIFILM GFX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Silhouettes<\/h2>\n
\"Silhouette
Silhouette of basketball hoop. Shot looking up, -1 exposure compensation. Bangkok, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot with -1 or -2 exposure compensation, for dramatic silhouettes shot from a low-angle perspective.<\/p>\n

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Photography Techniques<\/h1>\n
\"Red
Red dot overlapped with man in suit. London tube, by Eric Kim<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n