Point of View Shot in Portrait Photography

Point of View Shot is a terminology which simply the subject is looking through the camera. Let us explore how we can the theory in Portrait. If you have gone through our article like 50 Tips on Choosing Poses to Get Stunning Portraits, definitely you have covered most of the theoretical part of Portrait Photography. To understand this article, you must read – Camera Angle : Relation to the Subject Which Affects. Usage of Point of View Shot in Portrait Photography is rare – we actually use Point of View Shot more in Cinematography. But in real, it is possible to use Point of View Shot method for better composition or rather for achieving a wider array of photography.

Point of View Shot in Portrait Photography

Point of View Shot or simply p.o.v. is when the camera take the shot from a particular person’s viewpoint, as if the person, who is watching; is the person who is looking to the person in focus in that portrait. Understand it – two persons. One is my girl friend, second person is me and the third person is you – both the photographer and viewer. If you take a shot of my girl friend’s face while I am in conversation with her standing just behind me – you’ll compose in a way so that, right side of your composition will have a blurred portion of my head and shoulder as foreground.

Actually it is quite commonly used in motion pictures to simulate “reality”. What I described is known as over-the-shoulder shot. “When the leading actor is the subject of the POV it is known as the subjective viewpoint”. A subjective attitude is often one of the two directly successive settings : one shot shows a character who looks out somewhere, usually on a point outside the image. The other option (the actual POV shot) shows what the figure considered, filmed by the position of the figure.

Filmmaking is quite difficult – it is few thousand time difficult than taking a great photograph – a minor mistake can turn it to a fully “home made video”! Actually these situations are quite common in real life or we can just set up it to simulate as if it is a candid.

Using Point of View Shot in Portrait Photography Demands More Practice and Knowledge

Point of View Shot brings an illusion, i.e., the viewer feel like an insider in the composition. Often POV shots are technically alienated : Blur signals about the look of a spectacle wearer without glasses. The subjectification (a philosophical concept coined by Michel Foucault) of the POV shots is often contradictory combined with an objectification through technical devices, such as the view through telescopes or night vision devices. Both increase the impression of authenticity.

The tone of the picture changes a lot depending on the point of view of the photographer than the subject. Framing the person from top to bottom or from bottom to top matters to highlight the physical characteristics such as a broad forehead and a prominent nose. So, if we just took a picture does not convince us and does not identify the reason, we try to take pictures from other points of view and compare the different results. The ranking of the canonical line of sight of the photographer is exactly perpendicular to the subject. Experimenting with other points of view we can add dynamism to the picture or even humor.

So, where we can apply Point of View Shot in Portrait Photography? An old mother is having conversation with his young son, along with taking the mother’s usual portrait, a Point of View Shot can spice up their family album. Dramatic moments of life – wedding, death, birth of a child can be excellent natural moments to use this theoretical model.

What lens to choose? Usually a Normal Lens or a Wide Angle Lens will work fine!