I had someone ask me how to choose the right angle from which they should take their photo. Well, that was not exactly a question out of the blue. We were talking about angles, trying new angles, and using new angles as a means to adding a new dimension of interest to our images.
Absolutely, we should try different angles, but there is no answer to the question of which angle is best. There are pointers, to be sure, but I even hesitate to mention those, for fear that we will find the key to making our photographs look just like everybody elses or possibly never attempt to excercise our creativity in the first place. Forbid!
I think I would rather say that we need to think of angle as another tool at our disposal. Try something besides the photos that scream “I am a human, five and a half to six feet tall, holding a camera, and taking this picture.” Doing something so simple as squatting down can completely change a photo and add more interest than you might think.
So, my suggestion is not one of which angle is best, but rather to try multiple angles. Shoot straight on if you must, but then shoot it from a squatting position, from above, from the side, up close and far away, and maybe even…oh no…from behind. It’s legal. Don’t worry.
Maybe, in the process of experimenting with new angles, you will find something that becomes your signature, and people will start asking you “What is it that makes your photos different?”. You may know that all you did was squat down a little, but most viewers will not think of it, and you will have given your photos that “something different”.
