Bring your photos to life

We have had some great entries for the month of may and I would like to congratulate them and thank everyone that participated. The Challenge page is about all of you. To get you out and shooting more, to think of photography in different ways, and to learn from each other.

So what does it take to bring your images to life? To go beyond the flat un-alluring shots we see so often? Well quite simple it is finding the angles and lines that bring the object out. shooting a car straight on can leave the viewer missing the whole picture but stand at a 45 degree angle and the car seems to jump out in the image. Houses, mountains, even the way we shoot wildlife can determine how a viewer will respond to the shot. finding the angles or the shapes in a frame takes practice but it will change the way others respond to your work.

These 2 images show how angles and shapes can play a role in you and others view the image. The image to the left shows a lot of angles and is shot from an angle which gives the image depth. the image to the right is shot straight on and has nearly no depth and much less visual stimulation.

The image above demonstrates how angles and shapes can add dimension as well as transition bringing life into the image. So while you are out and about with your camera, do yourself a favor and walk around the subject you are wanting to shoot. Find the best angle to shoot from, and find shots that have angles to them. many times the angles you chose will be a part of other rules actually such as the rule of leading lines, the rule of diagonals, and yes, even the rule of thirds. Just be aware that when you are shooting angles, you have to make sure the rest of the image is balanced and that you are not leaving a tom of dead space otherwise.