There are three
components to the view which can found in any image, captured or created:
- field of view
- angle of view
- point of view
Alterations in
each one of these views will change the experience and meaning of
an image. Alterations of these various views also interact with one
another to amplify or neutralize the impact of each. In other words,
these views can be adjusted independently but have interdependent
affect on the experience and meaning of an image.
Within sequences
of individual images, whether time-based (film or video) or spatially-based
(printed series in newspaper, magazine or on display) it is wise to
mix these various views from one image to the next.
Field
of View
The
field of view is the amount of horizontal information found in an
image. While human vision allows people to have a virtually limitless
field of view, the frame of an image limits the abolute width of
the horizontal space. However, it is possible to vary the amount
of horizontal information within a specified frame through the use
of various lenses, or manipulations, and the field of view within
a frame has an impact on the affective and cognitive content of
the image. Even when an image is created and the horizontal limits
of a frame are variable viewers will have different experiences
depending on the field of view.
We
can divide field of view into four categories:
- Narrow:
Accomplished with a long lens in photography, anything above 80mm
in 35mm photography; Objects on the z-axis in the narrow angle
image appear to be closer to together than they are in reality
and individual objects appear to be thinner than they are in reality.
Narrow angle lens are used to capture distant objects and are
used in portrait photography to give a wider person the benefit
of the doubt;
- Normal:
Accomplished with a normal lens in photography; anything between
50 and 75mm in 35mm photography; Objects on the z-axis in the
normal angle image are perceived to be at a "normal"
distance from one another and individual objects appear a bit
wider than they do in reality because they are viewed on a flat,
2-D, plane rather than in the 3-D of reality, "the camera
adds ten pounds!"
- Wide:
Accomplished with a wide angle lens in photography, anything between
28 and 50mm in 35mm photography; Objects on the z-axis in the
wide angle image appear to be farther apart than they are in reality
and individual objects appear to wider than normal, but they are
not yet distorted to a point of recognition. This would not be
an optimal choice for a flattering portrait but it would allow
a wider field of view of a building or landscape.
- Extreme
Wide: Also uses a wide angle lens but the attempt to
contain an unnatural amount of horizontal information within a
specified frame creates distortions of lines and space, accomplished
with anything less than 28mm lens in 35mm photography; The affect
here is an amplification of the attributes of the wide angle view
with the additional feature that straight lines appear to be curved
around the center of the image, for buildings this means otherwise
straight sides are curved toward the top and bottom, horizon lines
are curved into a sly smile, and already curved lines, such as
those which can found on the human face, are amplified; the extreme
form of the extreme wide angle lens is the fisheye lens which
captures a circular image within a rectangular frame in the attempt
to widen the available horizontal information.
Angle
of View
This
is the relative position of the viewer to the object being viewed.
The viewer can appear to be anywhere on the sphere--360 degrees
x 360 degrees x 360 degrees--which surrounds an object and this
position will have an impact on the viewers understanding of the
object.
It is important
to remember that angles of view are all relative to the object(s)
found within the frame. Some of the angles and their general meanings
are:
- Eye-Level---Looking
a person straight in the face or looking straight into the mid-line
of an object; this gives an impression of equality between the
viewer and the viewed object
- Looking
Up---Looking up at a person or object from below the
eye-line or mid-line of an object; this gives an impression of
stature and magnitude to the object being viewed and diminishes
the relative importance of the viewer
- Looking
Down---Looking down at a person or object from above
the eye-line or mid-line; this diminishes the size or importance
of the object and increases the relative importance or stature
of the viewer.
- Worm's
Eye---This includes the various angles and images which
can be captured from ground-level. The magnitude of this angle
goes beyond simply looking up as everything in the world is a
experienced uniquely from the perspective of the worm.
- God's
Eye---This includes the various angles and images which
can be captured from the sky, a helicopter or a space craft. The
magnitude of this angle goes beyond simply looking down as everything
in the world is experienced uniquely from the perspective of God.
In general the top of all objects can be seen from this angle
of view.
Point
of View
This
is the relative perspective of the viewer to some animate object
within or implied by the image. If an object is imbued with the
ability to see--such as a human or animal, and perhaps something
more mystical such as a rock or tree--then it can provide a relative
perspective for the viewer.
At
the most primitive level we can identify three points of view for
an image:
- First
Person---the objects within the image are seen from the
eyes and angle of the seeing entity implied or perceived to be
a part of the world depicted in the frame;
- Third
Person---the entity which is within the frame is explicit,
the viewer sees it along with the other objects in the image;
- Third
Person Frame---the entity which is within the frame is
explicit, but the viewer is looking "over the shoulder"
of the entity which is given as a frame within the frame of the
image or can be seen in a more complete form with the viewer positioned
behind the person of interest.
