Monday Perspective

Early Saturday morning, I’m sitting in my favorite chair staring out the window. I felt relaxed enjoying the shining sun and the beautiful blue sky. I contemplated what I would do with the rest of the day and it hit me. I hadn’t completed my Weekend Fun assignment. If you remember from Friday, the assignment was to take a picture of something from an unusual or non-traditional angle and see how it changes your perspective on that subject. So I quickly grabbed my camera and started shooting everything in sight. I first started with a pencil. I took low angle, high angle, oblique, side, front and back angle shots; all trying to capture the image of a pencil from a distinct yet unusual view. It didn’t work. First thing I learned was that my camera lens is not designed for close ups and far away shots of something so small as a pencil lose a certain centering. So I put the pencil away and continued on.

The first subject I found that produced an interesting shot is below. Can you guess is in this picture? They’re very old, very beat up golf clubs. It’s obvious from this shot I think. 

This next shot is also obvious but the result speaks for itself. Looking down on the door knob, the view seems strange but familiar. 

These next two are my favorites. I shot this with the candle sitting on the toilet tank. These angles make me feel as if the light is suspended in an unnatural way. And like a moth, I find myself drawn to the flame in each picture, wanting to stare at them for a while. Maybe it’s the orange light off the wall, or how bright the flame is. 

This last one is just an off angle shot of a painting I have in my hallway. I’ve always found it kind of strange seeing photographs of paintings. I guess it seems redundant to me. Anyway, I like the odd shapes and colors of this painting. 

So, what did I learn from this little experiment? Well, for one thing, I learned using strange angles to take pictures hardly ever produces quality shots. These five shots are a fraction of the forty or so I actually took. I’ll be the first to admit they aren’t super incredible. However, taking time with each shot, I learned that you can really present something mundane or common in a much fresher perspective if you keep trying. The more I look at the candle shots the more I like them. Did you try the experiment? What do you think?

Thanks for reading. 

Questions and comments are welcome.