Camera Angles

How to Tell a Better Story by Changing Your Camera Angle

Imagine if we shot everything from the same angle. What if we shot

from the same distance or vantage point every time?

These wide angle shots are really quite boring. They don’t tell much of a story.

Again, not much of a story….

But what happens when we change our angle and vary our

shots?

Now we’ve got a story because we are more intimate with our subject.

Our story comes to life because we see the subject in its own

environment (wide angle and medium shots) and we also get

personal with it in our close-ups.

Wide angle shot

Medium shot

Close up

Extreme close up

To add interest to your photo story, try shooting from different angles

and ranges.Identify these types of shots. Notice that we have included enough detail in each photo that the viewer knows what is happening in the photo.

Try an over-the-shoulder shot so we experience what your subject is

experiencing.

Or try a unique angle so we see things from a different point of view.

Shoot the same subject from different angles and distances.

And remember what we learned about composition

• Apply the rule of thirds.• Use leading lines when you can.• Frame your subject when you can.• Make sure you have a center of interest.• Watch out for distracting backgrounds.• Shoot for motion and or emotion when you

can.• Get into the action, don’t stand back.

Check out some of the photo stories and determine which

camera angles are being used. How do the camera angles create a

better story?

• Annaka’s fair story

•The NY Times One in Eight Million