Basic photography tips - Vertical alignment

Many people add photos here and I am sure there are a range of editing tools to use. One thing that people might want to consider (I didn't for a long time) is the vertical alignment. This is especially useful for straight line pieces like buildings etc.

When the lens points upwards to capture the top of a tall structure, the lens will of course warp the image. Sometimes it is great to have this effect as it can add grandeur and size to a piece as a skyscraper stretches into the heavens. Sometimes, it detracts from the image.

I thought I would (very) quickly demonstrate through an adjusted image. Excuse the image I chose and the super dodgy processing but it was readily available. The picture is from Amsterdam and a little café just away from the main train station. I have actually seen views of this corner in several shows and movies since.

These were done in Lightroom very quickly and the lines in Illustrator as it was fast.

First, the original. Notice how all of the buildings lean in. Remember this is Amsterdam where all of the buildings are crooked anyway :)

To make it easier:

Now after the vertical alignment has been done:

Again, easier:

And now. Tadaa! The dodgiest processing ever.

Yes, I have a bad habit of shooting crooked too but, you can see that it makes a slight but significant difference in the image. When we observe our world, our brain adjusts it and adds or removes information to keep consistency. Even though the perspective shift is there, we do not notice it as much in the walking world. When looking at a picture of the same thing however, it becomes obvious.

This should be an experimental adjustment as each shift will of course warp other aspects of the image. It is worth playing around a little to see how this works though as it can have dramatic effects on some images and help to draw the viewer in. If you are interested in having people view your work as it was 'seen', you sometimes have to trick their minds by offering what is expected.

This was just a very quick thing I thought might help some of the amateur photographers like myself as when I look back at much older work, I wish I had adjusted some of them but no longer have the original. I see some great shots here that have been processed well but would likely benefit from some alignment touches. Share or tag someone in the comments if you think this may be useful for them too.

Have a nice day,

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]