It’s all a matter of perspective

Lens choice modifies the mood and impact of your photos. My first thought shooting this group of almost Spring fitness seekers was with a telephoto view to compress their figures against the chaotic water falling over Hoover Reservoir as the background.

I chose a point on the entrance road leading to the parking lot at the base of the dam, running up the incline into position to shoot level at the group’s height. The 300mm f4 Nikkor would be long enough to compress the view so they would be outlines against the spillway water.

You can see my angle with two photos <below) from the same spot with my 70-200mm f2.8 zoom. It is wide too including many elements that distract from the group. I thought about contrasting groups using the man and his two kids in the parking lot as part of the composition. The possibility of the two groups forming a complete composition was unlikely and I knew the upper group’s activities were far more interesting with greater possibility for a good photo.

The wider shots, with the 70-200, included the power lines that angle horizontally across the frame. Zooming in to exclude the parking lot, they still interfered with the composition. The 300mm, although it also included the wires in a horizontal photo, placed them at a high enough position to be cropped out.

70-200mm, f2.8 Nikkor Zoom at 70mm

I moved off the roadway onto the muddy hillside for the best angle watching their movements for matching alignment or patterns but having to settle for a staccato arrangement as each worked at their own pace instead of moving in unison.

I left my position when the group seemed to have finished their workouts on the upper level and moved to the parking lot. I knew I had several possible photos in camera and began my walk to the car when they paused at the base of the stairs for instructions for the next set of exercises.

I joined them on the stairs as their trainer described the exercises they were to perform for the next trip of the flight up stairs to the top of the dam.

70-200mm, f2.8 Nikkor Zoom at 200mm

Her instructions to leap along the flat section adjacent to the waterway brought out the 14-24mm f2.8.

The group, never complaining despite always being out of breath and near exhaustion, hopped their way across the concrete path. Like some out-of-shape Russian dancer, I squatted as low as I could for each photo jumping to my feet almost in unison with the athlete to follow each across the path. It was part of my morning workout carrying camera and lenses for extra weight.

What had begun as a compressed telephoto shot had evolved into a wide angle full depth of field shot including the group’s workout environment. Both photos are successful but in different ways and they tell different stories about the group and the environment for their workouts.

Exploring your shooting position is important.