eye catcher Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

There is no law that says all pictures have to be taken from eye level and straight on. By taking a picture from a different angle, you can produce a totally new feeling, mood or effect.

The worm's eye view can be pretty interesting. By lying down on your stomach, you can get flowers in the foreground to frame your subject. If you are taking pictures of small children or pets, getting the camera down on their level can improve results. You can also avoid cluttered or ugly background by changing your point of view.

Climbing up on things and looking down from a high point of view offers lots of different opportunities. With people looking up at the camera, you will see just their faces without having to pose their bodies or lining them up. From above, you can also use grass or flowers as a background.

Speaking of lineups, rather than having your subjects lined up all the time, position them in a relaxed or informal manner. Have them turn their shoulders slightly so they do not appear so stiff. Use something like a rock or fence for a prop to position them around.

A leading line can be almost anything: a road, path, sidewalk, fence, river, hedge, tree line or shadow. You will not find a strong leading line around every subject, but you should look for them if they are there and take advantage of them. Lines in a picture should lead into, not out of, the picture, and they should lead your eye toward the main subject.

Sometimes it is a matter of choosing the right angle or point of view to make leading lines lead into the picture. Starting a leading line from the corner of your picture will often improve composition.

Remember: Watch for strong lines that lead to your subject.

this is an interesting side for starters and maybe also for others here

This one I took on that fantastic day for photographers.
I find it a good idea to put some good information with the shot. I hope you like it.
gr. jaap

Matthew-Watt, dip, besnard, Norte, Cricri, AiresSantos, salvator, AROBN54, riclopes, Tue, josepmarin, snunney, papagolf21, ChrisJ, KLB, JPlumb, chrkont, saylan-cb, jhm, Buin, Muse, Budapestman, jjcordier, patdeph, gneufeld, delkoo, Photo65Net, JCG, Truja, leo61, xavshot, maltese, qengji, Bluejeans, mvdisco, CatherineD, scobert, pasternak, Charo, bostankorkulugu, Didi, COSTANTINO, danos has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

oreyd (387) 2008-02-05 22:41

Tremendous shot, I will try the idea of yours, thanks!

dip (12410) 2008-02-05 22:54

Hello Jaap,
beautiful photo with amazing colors and nice winter atmosphere,excellent point of view but also the note about it
Greetings,
Dimitris.

besnard (30182) 2008-02-05 22:55

Bonjour Jaap
Très joli cliché de ces arbres tout givrés sur un ciel d'un beau bleu. La barrière conduit bien le regard. Cette photo est pleine de fraicheur au sens propre et au sens figuré.
Merci pour le partage et bonne journée.
Nicole

Norte (531) 2008-02-05 23:12

Hello Jaap.
Your picture is certainly an excellent demonstration of what you describe in the note!
The picture is very perfect in every sense, color - pov - sharpness - composition!
TFS!
Regards, Jon.

evanrizo (456) 2008-02-05 23:32

Hi Jaap,
the lightness is ideal, is superb and gives this very amazing atmosphere.
Sharpness, contrast, colors and POV are superb.
Cheers
Evangelos

salvator (18743) 2008-02-05 23:44

Hi Jaap,
Wonderfully composed with superb details, colors and sharpness. Superb.
Best regards. Salvator.

AiresSantos (41418) 2008-02-05 23:44

Hi Jaap
Very beautiful contrast between the white, blue and red in this lovely composition. I like the diagonal of the fence and how you framed it
TFS and all the best
Aires

AROBN54 (10695) 2008-02-06 0:01

Beautiful shot, Jaap,
Just as has been said, your always amazing color and composition, that wonderful light. I love the fence leading in that is so perfectly and uniformly iced. The great contrast in that blue, blue sky, the white ice and red roof. Wonderful lines and angles, too. This is just great work. Many thanks and warmest regards,
Shelly

Cricri (42853) 2008-02-06 0:25

Hi Jaap,
Excellente perspective qui barriére qui conduit bien l'oeil vres la maison qui s'emble protégé du froid par les arbres givrés, belle lumiére et ciel
intéressante note, merçi et félicitations
Have a nice day for you
cricri

riclopes (32865) 2008-02-06 0:30

Olá Jaap, another fantastic image of yours, along with the usual interesting note. The fence makes a strong perspective with a very nice graphism. I like to see the house surrounded by this winter environment and the blue sky also indicates how nice and sunny the day was. Beautiful.
Groet,
ric

wolf38 (12525) 2008-02-06 0:30

Hello jaap. Actually: a eyecatcher. Beautifully, worth seeing and..... Simply a excellentes photo. Best regards, Wolfgang.

Tue (25608) 2008-02-06 0:37

Goedemorgen Jaap,
Dit is nog weer een prachtige foto van die mooie dag eind december. Met die witte bomen, die blauwe lucht en dat mooie licht. Ook mooi om te zien hoe het ijs op het hek is gaan zitten. Prima POV en compositie.
Groeten,
Lars

josepmarin (33591) 2008-02-06 0:43

Hi Jaap,
Beautiful image of the first day of winter, with a cold and very luminous environment. The frozen fence really takes the look to us towards the subject of your composition, with an elegant diagonal and a good graphism.
Everything works with a lot of harmony, I like it.
Good work with the light, the colors and the quality of image.
Your note is a real practical lesson on the photographic composition skill.
Excellent work.
Best regards, my friend,
Josep

Angshu (33324) 2008-02-06 0:49

Dag Jaap
A classic lesson of photography in your notes as also your excellent picture. Great lead-in with the fence topped by frost. Like the frosted trees framing the cottages...the red one creating an excellent contrast with the blue sky. Great shot!
Best Regards
Angshu

Giedra70 (554) 2008-02-06 0:51

Hi jaap,

Nice colors, iteresting composition. Well done.

BR Giedrius

snunney (34146) 2008-02-06 1:14

Hello Jaap,
Excellent perspective for this fine composition making good use of the strong diagonal lines offered by the fence and the wall of the house. Superb colours and clarity and all under a wonderful ambient light.

Paolo (40651) 2008-02-06 1:25

Hi Jaap, that's a so called frozen land!
fantastic one, colorful and with amazing light, brilliant composition and excellent quality too.
thanks, ciao

papagolf21 (55990) 2008-02-06 1:31

Bonjour, mon ami Jaap,
Très belle mise en image de ce paysage où le givre crée des formes étranges.
Sous la charmille aux blancs roseaux ; et sur le givre on voit se suivre les pas étoilés des oiseaux.
Amitiés.
Philippe

ChrisJ (69588) 2008-02-06 1:44

Hi jaap

A superb blue sky, with excellent sharpness, & the diagonal fence provides dynamism & perspective. The red roof contrasts well against the blue sky, too. Tfs!

KLB (17824) 2008-02-06 2:11

Hello Jaap

First at all, thanks for this informative note, with those precious advices. It's a real lesson. Your perfect shots illustrate so well all these tricks, that everybody should try to apply them !
Once again, a great composition, with all you've explained in your note.
A very charming winter scene, very luminous.
Thanks for sharing all your know-how.

Regards,
Karine

JPlumb (3153) 2008-02-06 2:15

Hi Jaap, this really is an eye catcher. In the thumbnail it's your fence leading your eye up from the bottom left into the shot, then you open the picture and it's the blue that hits me first. I then found myself wandering around your shot looking at all of the ice on the trees and fence, finally spiraling in to that red roof. Excellent composition with excellent sharp detail and colour. Enjoyed.

Thanks, John

Floydian (30970) 2008-02-06 2:49

Hallo Jaap,
Goed je terug te zien na de operatie, hoop dat alles goed gegaan is.
Je foto is ietwat rommelig met al die bomen waardoor het huisje wat in de verdrukking komt, maar het perspectief en de zorgvuldige compositie maakt veel goed.
Fijne dag, Henk

jhm (81731) 2008-02-06 3:43

Dag jaap,

Uw link lijkt mij zeer interesant om iets bij te leren, heeft altijd zijn positive kanten, dit heeft het verleden reeds bewezen.
Eentje uit de twee mooie dagen, uitzonderlijk voor onze lage landen.
Zonder de witte brimmel was dit niets geweest, maar nu komt u tot een zeer mooi beeld, ook technisch zeer goed gedaan.
Perspectief en kleuren tonen de kracht van de foto.
Bedankt!
Verder veel beterschap.

Groeten,
John.

Buin (36932) 2008-02-06 3:44

Hallo Jaap!
Only one word: Beautiful!
Greetings from rainy Westphalia!
Frank

MarcT (20983) 2008-02-06 3:45

Hallo Jaap,
Je bent dus terug en alles is goed verlopen...?
Goed zo en beste wensen
Marc

Muse (30597) 2008-02-06 3:50

Bonjour Jaap,
En effet, un angle différent et toujours une si jolie photo.
De superbes couleurs, parfaite netteté et un tout bon cadrage.
Le givre donne un tout bel effet
Amicalement,
Denise

anes_lc (14762) 2008-02-06 3:51

great advices like always ,and the picture just prouve it .
you manage to get the best from each subject
thanks sharing ,we can all learn :)
hugs,anes

jlbrthnn (37000) 2008-02-06 4:14

Hello Jaap,
a beautiful image all in harmony. Harmonize lines, forms and colors. Cheer
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël
ps: Thank you for your lenient sympathetic criticisms about my very modest and naive productions.

Budapestman (41066) 2008-02-06 4:29

Dear Jaap,
Fascinating atmosphere with beautiful composition and colours. Really creative realization and the note is superb. Great shot my friend, Have a nice day
George

jjcordier (24158) 2008-02-06 6:02

Jaap
Merci pour cette leçon de composition et de maitrise de la lumière. Le givre apporte une touche très particulière à cette superbe image.
Amicalement
JJ

patdeph (17452) 2008-02-06 7:04

hello Jaap
thanks a lot for the lessons in your note!Here,the frozen grating does a strong diagonal line,behind wich we see the principal elements,the house and he trees!The contrats white-blue-red is wonderful,and,in spite of the cold weather,this is a warm photo!I like it very much.
Regards.
Pascale

gneufeld (15007) 2008-02-06 7:14

Hi jaap,
Wonderful winter morning image with all the frost on the trees and fences. The very low pov works real well and the red roofed house sets this image off perfectly. Fine work and TFS. Gerald

Cormac (26449) 2008-02-06 8:00

Nice shot! The frost on the fence gives this a very unusual appearance, which is quite eye catching. The frost has the effect of outlining everything in white, so the shapes are very easy to notice. Good composition too, with the house in the background and the fence leading to it. Well done!

gildasjan (23381) 2008-02-06 8:35

Bonjour Jaap
Un paysage d'hiver et des superbes couleurs pour cette composition très bien agencée.
Bonne soirée.
Amicalement
Gildas

UnTrained (0) 2008-02-06 8:43

Hallo Jaap,
familiar fence and house, this time for sure an eye catcher like the previous ones. Superb line with the fence and good strong contrast from the frozen branches against the sky. Thanks for the link.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

Photo65Net (43084) 2008-02-06 9:47

Jaap,
You caught sun on these frozen trees, and it is great !
I like too how you composed, using diagonal.
Beautiful,
Regards,
JB.

vincz (19039) 2008-02-06 9:57

Fantastic day for photographers, but also fantastic job from a very good photographer! Diagonal composition is perfect, light perfectly captures, colours excellent. What a beautiful picture!

JCG (24857) 2008-02-06 11:16

Hi Jaap,

The cold is quite present on this image. This frosted netting creates a beautiful prospect and gives a good depth to the image. I like much this house which emerges from the trees. The light is very pleasant. Pretty glance and thank you for the note and interesting Internet link.

With all my friendships and a good evening,

Jean-Charles

Truja (4948) 2008-02-06 11:31

Hi Jaap!

After reading your note and seeing your photo, single I have say: CONGRATULATIONS by the work that you do in TE. Thanks to share, nonsingle the photos if not also a different form to share the photography through your instructive, coherent and practical notes. My humbler thank you again, Jordi.

leo61 (42886) 2008-02-06 11:51

Hi Jaap!
I`m dreaming of taking shots of frozen trees and landscapes.We had around christmas,I was told but I loved more walking with shorts at the beach...
Great shot,well composed with great sharpness and good colorcontrast.
Regards,leo

xavshot (61917) 2008-02-06 12:03

Bonsoir Jaap
belle utilisation de la barrière pour ajouter de la profondeur à la photo; Le givre donne une belle ambiance froide à l'ensemble; Beau travail.
Xavier

Bluejeans (31633) 2008-02-06 12:04

Ola Jaap
Que bonita cene rural com esta cerca congelada gostei dos quadrados de gelo e as arvores cobertas de neve , o ceu azul ficou fantastico , parabens!!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

maltese (21531) 2008-02-06 13:19

Hello Jaap
Tu as trouver une très belle lumière pour donner de bonnes couleurs à cette superbe scène. Une très bonne composition avec cette barrière comme guide et et l'aspect particulier pour renforcer l'impact.
une très belle photo!!
Amicalement
Hervé

mikeo (12113) 2008-02-06 14:16

Hello Jaap

Amazing shot! Colours and frozen trees are simply fabulous.
Well chosen POV, perfect quality, amazing light and beautiful blue sky.

Really impressive shot!
Greetings
Mikeo

delkoo (33976) 2008-02-07 1:16

hi jaap
thanks for your advices, seeing your photo it's exaltly what is Advise to do.
strong lines, marvelous colours all combine to make a masterpiece.

best regards
didier

mvdisco (11370) 2008-02-07 6:00

Hi Jaap,
Lovely compositon and beautiful catch of this freezing picture, le ciel est magnifique and I love the fence too very well done. great shot my friend.
Michel

saylan-cb (12726) 2008-02-07 7:01

Hi Jaap
Great image with amazing colors and nice winter atmosphere.Nice POV here,excellent work.
TFS/Regards

CatherineD (4827) 2008-02-07 10:32

Hi Jaap,
Very good composition with this amazing frost. This fence is completely different in winter clothes! The light is very well managed and the colours spendid. Your note is very interesting. You are completely right. I tested recentely to take pictures from a cat POV. Completely different.
Best regards,
Catherine

scobert (5333) 2008-02-07 19:16

Hello Jaap,
You are the master of composition and your work is proof of this fact! I have learned so much from viewing your beautiful landscape and from reading your notes. The composition is outstanding in itself but the frost creates an even more dynamic and interesting photograph. Stunning photography!
Stan

jurek1951 (25732) 2008-02-07 20:00

Hi Jaap,
Great Winter atmosphere vith beautiful freezing tree.Nice perspective.Very well done.
Georg

pasternak (13032) 2008-02-08 3:52

another amazing shot from 22/12/2007, a great day for photography! just a simple fence and a house but what an excellent landscape photograph...

Cheers
Alexander

Charo (31651) 2008-02-08 5:27

Hola Jaap,
Me gustan esas casas casi absorbidas por los árboles helados y la valla en diagonal que le aporta mucha profundidad. Excelente encuadre y atmósfera.
Cordialmente
Charo

bostankorkulugu (33334) 2008-02-09 0:18

an eye catcher indeed... looks like a place from the fairy tales... the fence adds a lot to the charm of course...
beautiful as always...

Burberry1 (6041) 2008-02-09 0:50

Wow!! This is just a fairy tail place, U captured it with such a grace:)
I just love the angle and this winter atmosphere.
As usual it is good to be back here Jaap:)

Agnieszka

Didi (35760) 2008-02-09 9:52

Bonsoir Jaap
Nous avons eu quelques jours de verglas et de givre sous le soleil à Orléans, cependant pour atteindre des endroits magnifiques il fallait sortir de la ville et je ne voulais pas risquer un accident.
La composition est magnifique sous cetyte belle luminosité hivernale.
Amitiés.

johnfreeman (2220) 2008-02-09 10:48

Hello Jaap,
Another beautiful image in which the colours and frost are the real stars. Good use of perspective too, although perhaps slightly unconventional (at least compared to the description given in the note) as the fence leads the eye into the picture but actually slightly away from the main subject. This creates a dynamic zigzag movement that I think is very effective. Perhaps this should be called "advanced use of perspective" :)
Have a nice Sunday Jaap.
John

Alco (1452) 2008-03-01 21:52

Hello Jaap,
I like very much that frozen landscape.The frozen fence is a + to your composition.The trees are very nice in front of that superb blue sky.Well done!
Alain

COSTANTINO (22221) 2008-03-11 3:24

Hello Jaap,
Bravo,bravo,bravo...
Well composed picture,interesting shapes
charming image,all the best
Costantino

kiks (5991) 2008-03-21 15:00

Hi Jaap, ik kan mij deze dag heel goed herinneren. Bevroren dauw!! Alles was zo mooi en jij hebt op een prachtige manier weten te fotograferen. De diagonaal en het rode dak werken hier heel goed.
Prettige Pasen
KIks

testmaniac (11832) 2008-11-19 21:13

Hello Jaap, you capture a wonderful morning moment! Excellent composition and light.

TFS

Phil

danos (31740) 2008-11-26 6:47

Hello Jaap,
nice Winter shot with the fence to greate depthin the scene.The red roof of the house is really an eye catcher of the whhole scene.Informative your note with information how to take a good shot.Well done.

have a nice afternoon from a sunlight Athens,Danos