Practice makes perfect

Over the summer, aware that I was to return to Sixth Form and start my Media Studies A-level in September, I decided to experiment with camera angles whilst on holiday in the south-west of England.

Below are a few of the results.

The image above follows the same rule as an over-the-shoulder shot; the subject at closest proximity to the camera lens is blurred, like the shoulder, neck and back of head of a person, and the second subject, which in this instance is the sea and the ships upon it, is in focus.

Rotating the chosen focal point of the picture from the background to the closer subject, this second snap captures the stonewall with a higher quality finish than the ocean behind it. In filming, this concept of blurring the ‘less important’ subject within a scene is employed in one-on-one conversations and evidences a nice, easy way to show audiences who is speaking, or who is conducting something of particular interest in comparison to their secondary subject.

The photograph of the seagull perched on the wall is a low angle long shot. The primary subject, the bird, is empowered by the low angle and rendered more significant. The fact that I chose to take the photo at a distance from the predominant focus of the composition and make it a long shot results in the subject being the clear central point of the image and established its location (resting on a stonewall).

The next two images may appear a little amateur, as they are so blurred. The subject is simply sunshine reflecting off water. Once again, I wanted to explore this idea of depicting scenes in such a way that they become blurry. I currently wish my thriller opening to incorporate flashbacks, in which recording must come across as unclear, or hazy. Blurring environments ensures success in achieving this somewhat distorted feel and shall assert the cut to the past with much needed clarity.

The medium close up shots, featured above, can be best defined perhaps as angles which settle half way between mid shots and close ups. The subjects in each image are presented to their viewers with detail, but the pictures do not concentrate upon exclusive regions of either focus in particular depth. This camera shot type plainly provides an outline or overview of subject and situation.

This photograph depicts a boat as the primary subject. The shot type is that of a medium close up. Medium close ups are commonly used to bring objects or characters into focus.

This picture, similar to the one before it, is a medium close up of a boat. Although no particular qualities differentiate it from the previous photo, I thought the snap above was rendered more interesting, solely through the composition, of which includes more water. I think it’s important to remember how minute alterations, much like the one demonstrated here, can enhance a scene and make a shot type appear uncommon, and therefore more creative.