Just like every character in a story has a different viewpoint….with photography, changing your angle, even on the same subject, will give you an entirely new viewpoint to the story you want to communicate. Every angle has something different to say. Practice moving around your subject and changing things up a bit. It is easy just to stand up and aim your camera at the subject….MOVE. Get low, get high – change it up a bit. Or a lot!

Now, let me walk through with you how changing your angle can give you an entirely new perspective on your story. Let’s start with a basic photo of my daughter in her highchair snacking on a muffin. Pretty plain Jane.

Now watch as I change my angle, how each photograph tells a different part of the story of her snack time.

Below is are two examples of how a simple angle adjustment changes your photo.

Left photo: The most common angle adults use - just point the camera and shoot.

Right photo: By squatting down on my son's angle, the shot becomes much more interesting.

Top photo: Shooting from standing up

Bottom photo: Getting down low for a better angle

Do you see how fun changing up your angles can be? Yes, I stood on chairs and the table for some of those. Photography can be your workout plan too. Burn calories, capture moments.

Here are a few more examples of the same ‘story’ from different viewpoints.

And that sweet baby as a princess…

More examples of how different angles tell different parts of the story:

Changing your angles also means finding unexpected ways to capture a story. Below is one of my very favorite photographs. My youngest son wanted so badly to play ping pong with his older brothers and daddy….but he was way too short to stand a chance. Despite the fact he couldn’t see over the table, he held his paddle high, just to be able to join in on the fun. A lot of times angles like this are avoided because there is not a face in the photograph….you don’t need a face to capture a story or a moment.

Finally, in regard to angles, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Shooting from below an adult typically is not flattering. It is an easy way to add a few pounds to that adult, which is usually undesirable. When photographing an adult, stand just a tiny bit above their eye level so they have to tilt their chin up just a bit. This allows the neck to lengthen (too much and it looks unnatural) and it helps remove double chins. I’m just over 5 feet tall. In order to do this, I often take a stool with me when photographing portraits of adults.

2. With kids: Shooting below kids gives them a feeling of authority (they seem bigger). Shooting down at a child gives a sense of smallness to the child and authority to the person looking at the picture. Shooting on a kid’s level gives a perspective of the world from their viewpoint (this is my favorite angle with kids). The same concepts can be applied to pets.