FORCED PERSPECTIVE

WHAT IS FORCED PERSPECTIVE?

Perspective, by definition, is a particular view of something. If a picture is taken from a “bird’s-eye-view” it means the picture is taken from the bird’s perspective.

In a forced-perspective photograph, you are intentionally changing the perspective of the photo by placing a small item close to the camera, and a large item further away behind it. In the 1950’s this was how they produced dinosaur movies, by placing a small plastic dinosaur near the camera lens, and the actors further behind it. (Remember, there were no computer-generated graphics at that time).

In order for your picture to work, your foreground AND background will need to be in focus (deep depth-of-field). You should remember from our depth-of-field lessons that you will need to use a small aperture in order to get the proper depth of field. To do this, set your camera to the aperture priority mode (AV) and set the f/stop to f/16. Keep in mind that this means you will be letting in very little light through the lens, so the camera will set itself to a slower shutter speed. Because of this, you should either be shooting outside in the bright sunlight, or with a tripod.

The mechanical aspects of this assignment really aren’t that hard. What you’ll need is patience and a lot of creativity to come up with creative pictures, like the samples on this page below . You can also find many excellent examples online, so feel free to go online and do a search for “forced perspective" photographs.

Depth of Field – A Guide for Beginners: https://www.media-division.com/depth-of-field-a-guide-for-beginners/

DOWNLOAD ASSIGNMENT SHEET

EXAMPLES:

40 Examples of Forced Perspective Photography: https://onextrapixel.com/40-examples-of-forced-perspective-photography/

Couple creates mind-boggling vacation photos using forced perspective: https://kdvr.com/2014/10/29/mind-boggling-photos-that-defy-perspective/

Forced Perspective Photography: 10 Tips: https://expertphotography.com/forced-perspective-photography/

Darwin Deez Video: https://vimeo.com/145304321

HOW TO

USING MODELS

LORD OF THE RINGS

TO DO: Photography Project: Forced Perspective (15-points)

In this assignment you are to create a set of forced perspective photos. I want you to be creative and come up with shots that are unique. Take a look at the sample sites above and the images below to get some inspiration, but don’t just copy their ideas. Also, I specifically do not want you to do the shot of a person “standing” in your hand. (it’s such a cliché!)

Remember:
Work in groups of two or three and sign out a camera. (make sure the camera has a charged battery and a working media card)
Set camera to AV-priority with an F-Stop of F8 to F16.
Share your long-lenses between groups if necessary
Shoot your pictures individually. (at least 12 unique forced perspective images per person. 12 separate attempts at creating a quality forced perspective.)
Download all images into a folder on your desktop called "Forced Perspective"
Place all images (at least 12) into the worksheet.
Save your 3 selected "best" images in the “large” fields on the worksheet. (2 points each)

Again, keep in mind that your images cannot have a shallow depth of field for these images to work. Remember that a high F-stop will result in an image with a long depth of field so that foreground and background images will both be in focus. At F16, the camera aperture will be closed down to a small opening allowing very little light to get in. Images must be photographed outdoors on a bright overcast or sunny day. Indoor or other dark images will only work with a tripod or the camera securely placed on an immobile surface.