Aspective View in Photography
Writing about the long exposure as metaphor, I recently mentioned Daguerre’s 1838 photo of the Paris street and the aspective view of the gent getting his shoes shined. I want to explore aspective view. What is it? How can thinking about it help your photography?
In art and photography, the aspective view refers to how a scene or object is depicted from a particular point of view. This can include the angle at which the scene is viewed, the level of detail shown, and the use of foreshortening or other photographic techniques to create the illusion of three-dimensional space in our two-dimensional photography.
There are several different aspective views we can use, each of which can create a different impression or mood for the viewer. Some common aspective views include:
Frontal view: This is when the scene or object is shown from directly in front, with no angle or perspective. This can give the impression of stability or solidity.
Profile view: This is when the scene or object is shown from the side, with only one profile visible. This can give the impression of movement or dynamism. A great example is this famous Cartier-Bresson photograph.
Bird's-eye view: This is when the scene or object is shown from above as if looking down from a bird's perspective. This can give the impression of power or control of the viewer over the subject.
Worm's-eye view: This is when the scene or object is shown from below as if looking up from a worm's perspective. This can give the impression of the scale of the subject and the vulnerability of the viewer.
On a recent foggy morning, I went out with the intent to make some photographs using the aspective front1 view of trees combined with the aerial perspective created by the dense fog. The week leading up to these photographs had been extraordinarily stressful.
I intended to capture some calming, centered scenes. I needed to slow down my little part of the world. I was looking for some internal peace and some peace in my photography and photographs.
As I was setting up for one shot, I noticed a jogger heading my way. She was breathing hard. Perhaps a recent resolution. If you have been reading these articles, you have figured out by now that most of the time I am looking for ways not to include people in my landscape still lifes.
In the event, I quickly recomposed (I was using a Rolleiflex 3.5f on a tripod) and then pressed the shutter button:
The jogger also has an aspective view. Her back, arms, and legs are visible against the background. Clearly human, clearly in motion against the stillness of the morning she’s running into.
We can use a particular aspective view to create a specific effect or to convey a message in our photographs. For example, a bird's-eye view can be used to show the grandeur of a cityscape, while a worm's-eye view might be used to convey the feeling of being small and insignificant in the face of a vast and imposing landscape or structures.
Here’s an example from October 2022 of a worm’s-eye aspective view beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. The wide angle lens enhances the foreshortening of the bridge. I was also intentionally putting the right edge of the bridge (mostly) along the Baroque diagonal. (That’s a dynamic symmetry concept I will write about soon.)
I could give you many examples, but I will leave you with one more idea. Consider combining different aspective views when possible. It will add to the visual interest in one’s photograph. Think about Annie Leibovitz’s group shots and how she poses the models. Here’s an example of it in a street photograph I made in NYC a few months ago.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of Behind the Film Camera. If you have a photography friend who might like this kind of content, please share it!
Okay, I know trees don’t have a true front or back, but for my purposes, I’m calling the view I settled on the front view of the trees.
Great post. Thanks