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:

Get into 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 setting with an F-Stop of F8. You must work outside on bright overcast or sunny days for these images to work.
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 draft images (not including your 3 "best" final images) into a google document 2-3 images per page. I will be grading them on image quality and creativity. (1 points each)
Save your 3 selected "best" images as .jpg files and turn them in to Google Classroom. 3-points each.
Optional: Experiment with the 55-300mm long-lens.

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.