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Camera angle

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Strongly linked to framing, the camera angle is the result of three choices made by the photographer:

  • The focal length of the lens, from the distorted perspectives of extreme wide-angle to the compressed perspectives of extreme tele-photo
  • The position of the camera relative to the scene
  • The direction in which the camera is pointed

Additionally, although not strictly an aspect of camera angle, [[Depth of Field (DOF)] should be considered by the photographer alongside camera angle.

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Camera angle in portraits

Slight changes to camera angle have an extreme effect in portraiture.

Traditionally, portraits are shot as

  • Face on (usually including any pose where the sitter appears to be looking at the viewer)
  • Three-quarters (usually referring to any position between face on and profile)
  • Profile

Face-on gives the greatest interaction between the sitter and the viewer, but, for most subjects, having the body face directly into the camera is unflattering, so it is important to pose the subject with the body at three-quarters or even in profile, and with the face pointing towards the camera.

Three-quarters sacrifices interaction but gains in emphasising the physical shape of the face. Generally speaking, the nose should not bisect the cheek — it should either be fully protruding, or not protruding the line of the face at all.

Profile was favoured by Renaissance painters, but is a relatively unusual angle in modern portrait photography.

Additionally, the vertical angle of the camera creates a strong emotional effect

  • Camera at the same height as the sitter's face is the 'normal' way of doing a portrait, and gives a sense of equality
  • Camera higher than the sitter's head, and facing down by 3˚, with the sitter looking upwards to the camera, implies femininity in female sitters, or youth in children, and can also imply fragility and vulnerability
  • Camera at a steeper angle facing downwards, and with the sitter not angling the face fully towards it, by contrast, implies strength of purpose in the sitter
  • Camera lower than the sitter's head, facing upwards by 3˚, implies height, authority, and emphasises masculinity
  • Camera lower still, at a steeper angle, can imply nobility, if the sitter is not engaging with the viewer, but can also be comic

A double-chin is emphasised by the sitter looking downwards, but a lower camera angle tends to be slimming. A solution to this problem is to shoot in 3/4 or profile with a slightly lower camera angle and the sitter looking upwards. This means that there will be little engagement between the viewer and the subject, but this is generally the case in 3/4 shots

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