A change in perspective.

What's the difference between the two images? There is a lot of similarities between the two. In fact, they are photographs of the same place at the same time; the two front black posts are the same in both pictures. The walkway is the same as are the buildings in the background. How is it that they can look so similar and so different at the same time?

It has to do with perspective. Not yours, of course, but rather the focal length of the lens used. The left image was shot with a 90 mm (relative) lens while the right involved a 24 mm (relative). In order to get the front posts in the same position, I had to be close to them with the wide-angle and farther away with the telephoto. The right photograph was taken on the boardwalk while I had to move across a small channel onto the verge and crouch to obtain the left one. I framed both images so that the pair of black poles would be approximately in the same position. It was the different focal lengths that did the rest.

Telephoto lenses cause compression; distant objects seem larger and closer to nearby objects. Wide-angle lenses cause distortion where distant objects seem farther away relative to that same foreground. When viewing the scene with the unaided eye you get a "normal" perspective. You can use a 50 mm lens (relative) to get the same perspective.

Understanding how to create this effect is enormously significant. The technique itself is simple; just back up and zoom in. Keep the foreground looking the same and pay attention to how the background changes. This is a marvelous technique for altering natural foreground/background relationships. By playing with focal length and your position relative to the subject you will find an entirely new way of looking at things. You will have a new perspective.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen

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