This week’s topic is super simple and related to part 4 on How to fix perspective errors where the transform tool in Google Photo was used to repair leaning lines. This week is about how to prevent leaning lines while taking photos.
#### When you want to photograph a tall building and you are standing close to the building you intuitively will point the camera upwards to make it fit in the frame. In the resulting shot, the storefront will be shaped like */_* with the sides leaning inwards.#### #### If you prefer the building to have plumb sides that are not leaning like this |_| you need to move back or zoom out so you no longer need to point your camera upwards to fit the building inside your frame.#### #### In the image above you can see the effect of walking back to get plumb sides. The one with a couple sitting on a bench is the one taken from afar. Notice the plumb sides.#### #### You may also need to crop your image to help Maps users focus on the building. In part 5 on How to crop perfectly for Google Maps, you can find easy instructions on cropping.#### #### Likewise, when shooting basement storefronts we tend to point our camera downward. This creates sides that are leaning outwards _/. This problem is best solved by sitting down. See the illustration below.
#### The core tip for shooting taller buildings while avoiding leaning sides can be summarized as the “Walk back + Tilt + Crop”-trick as illustrated below.
Cheers
Morten
PS: Next week will be: Where to position the store name in your frame.
@MortenCopenhagen This is such an important point. Not only are the photos aesthetically correct, but you save yourself the time from having to correct the angles during edit.
The phone tilt is probably my most common error. From trying to see the image on the screen, and getting the right angle, or shooting quickly between people walking past - I always seem to get tilted. The Google Camera app has a horizontal level built in, maybe they could add in a vertical one, too
Sometimes I like photos with the building leaning inward, and sometimes there’s no room to move the camera back for another perspective. But the goal is to give a perspective that helps to recognize and find the building.
Thanks for the tips @MortenCopenhagen
@MortenCopenhagen That’s the real clue. Sometimes I think the quality of my photos is adversely affected by the quality of my camera. But of course, I didn’t buy a camera for the purpose of being a Local Guide. I bought a phone which just happens to have a camera, and then afterwards I discovered Local Guides quite by accident.
