When we’re taking shots, trying to reflect them on the computer
screen just as how we see them in the real world, we usually forget
about the main problem, that often faces photographers: how do we
transfer the surrounding world of 3D objects on a one-dimensional
surface, such as a printed picture? Photographers, just like painters,
use the same set of instruments for this: linear perspective, tonal perspective and scaled perspective, as well as blurring effect. Let’s talk on these types of perspectives and see, how they influence your picture in the end.
I. Tonal perspective
The air can never be transparent enough, because it consists of
molecules of different character, and they have their own density and
weight. Tonal perspective depends on humidity, air dustiness and is visualized differently at different weather conditions.
One of the examples of a tonal perspective can be seen in a fog, or
windy and dusty weather in a desert, or at sunrise above the water. All
of these effects come to the following: the further the object is, the less accurate its contours are. Such object is perceived as being brighter and less contrasting at the same time.
Here
the tonal perspective appears with the help of the morning fog.
Background becomes lighter, colors and objects are less saturated, the
outlines are almost blurred, the contrast is close to zero.
II. Scaled perspective
Scaled perspective appears with the decrease of the objects of the same type:
the further the object is, the more reduced it appears on the shot. The
best way to outline a scaled perspective on your shot is when you use a wide-angle lens
(focus length of 17-28 mm). They distort the foreground on the picture,
while the object perspective and scales are better displayed than if
shooting with the long-focus lens. Besides, we need to remember that
due to their wide visual angle (around 70 degrees), the wide-angle
lenses bring sharpness on every part of the shot with the minimum
diaphragm, which is quite important in the conditions of bad
illumination.
The reducing scale of the dried parts gives
the depth to the shot and makes it three-dimensional. Often landscapes
are photographed with wide-angle lenses (f/17-28 mm): they distort
foreground making it larger while long focus lenses put the foreground
and the background together making a flat shot.
III. Linear perspective
Linear perspective is achieved in lines that try to meet at a certain point on the horizon or at infinity.
The road, going to the distance, the bridge, the lines of the railings,
curbs, houses, electrical wires - all of these elements may be the
ground for linear perspective. Linear perspective is often seen in
landscapes.
At the lower picture with a leaf we can also see a linear perspective formed by
the leaf itself, and blurring adds depth and volume to the shot. The drop is
the main object here, because it is outlined with sharpness and is in
the center of our attention in the picture (just in the area where the
lines separate the shot into three equal parts).
IV. Depth of field (DOF)
Blurred background or part of an image is also a good tool that
influence on the depth of your shot and its composition. You can
control it with the diaphragm: the less the aperture value is, the more
blurred is the closest/furthest point from the focus center (the
sharpest point).
DOF is a distance between the closest and the furthest object that will be sharp with a given aperture value.
DOF depends on:
1.distance to the object (the longer it is the less DOF is and vice versa) 2.aperture value (the lower it is the less DOF is and vice versa) 3.focal length (the less it is the more DOF is, if the distance is the same) 4.linear matrix size (the less it is the more DOF is. It can be useful in marco photography)
Let's try
to imagine that we are shooting some larger object with the same data
(f/8, focal length 105mm) but shorter distance of 20 m, then DOF will
be reduced to 5 m. If we close diaphragm to f/15 and focal length reduce to
20 mm, then DOF will be spread to the whole shot from 3 m from you to the
horizon and everything will be sharp. Well, there
are a lot of articles about DOF mathematic calculations, but our main
tool is our eyes. When we change aperture value to f/5.6 we can see that DOF is small and the only focused object is sharp. When we close diaphragm to f/20 then sharpness of the whole shot increases and even street lights look like asterisks.
So, we showed you how to control the volume of your shot and avoid it from being flat. But every rule is supposed to be broken and you, as a creative photographer,
can choose if you need the depth in your shot or not.
Here is an example of the laconic shot where depth would destroy the idea. Linear perspective is
feebly marked with the light ripples on the water.
You are the only
one to decide what is the idea of your shot and what tools you need to use in order to
stress it. These decisions are exactly called talent, bad taste, genius or style.
