There is no single answer to this question. It depends on the shot being taken, the lens being used and the artistic or functional purpose of the picture. In general, take the picture from two angles if you have time. Look for an interesting angle, squat down and take the picture at a view other than your eye level. I love to sit down on the floor and take pictures of children at their eye level or stand on a chair in a crowded room, just to get 18 inches difference in my angle, it shows how full the room is. Examples: Portraits are usually taken where the lens is at eye-level for a visually comfortable picture. If the purpose was the make a person look smaller or perhaps childlike the camera might be raised to look slightly down on the subject. In the same way, lowering a camera will make subjects loom large in the frame and create an effect of power or dominance (this may not register consciously) Wide-angle nature vista photos are often taken with the camera lens 8-12 inches off the ground, with an interesting foreground element. This gives the picture great depth, with a huge sky and a tiny flower in the same exposure. When photographing buildings I like to move to one corner of the building and take a picture of the front of the building, this gives the picture depth and creates interesting graphic vectors in the frame. If you need a shot of the front of a building getting the camera lens about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way from the ground to the height of the top of the building will make it look more inviting. Staying close and shooting up will make it loom large in the frame, like with portraits. In situations where this is not possible specially designed lenses can compensate for the effect, or digital software can be used after the picture is taken.
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.