Special Effects in Photography

Extraordinary Pitures can attrract or distract us, especially pictures with weird representations, but regardless of whether these images elicit positive or negative reeaction from onlookers, they surely succeed at least in one point: attracting attention. We usually see pictures of images as they appear in reality. But isn't it more exciting to se pictures that are not usual in our sight.

Special effects play a very important role in a photographer's life. These effects help a photographer shift the usual image into other types of presentations, sometimes even to indescribable representations. Just by using lens, lights, shadows or even objects like water, a photographer is able to create special effects.

• Dramatic Perspectives

  Pictures can be viewed at different angles. These effects are made possible by the help, of ultra wide lenses. Fisheye lens is one example of lens that produces dramatic perspectives. It is an ultra wide lens, which pushes the viewpoint of the image to the extreme so the framing of the picture will appear to be like an eye of a fish. The emphasis of the image depends on the way the lens is pointed, either up or down. Images usinng lens can also help emphasize the width of objects by decreasing the size of the huge objects within the framing. Another example of dramatic perspective is figure distortion. For example, a human subject can be projected to have tiny legs, but with a very big presentation of the face all th way down to the breast.

• Skyline

  In this particular special effect, light plays a very important role. The effect of a dim-lit subject could be transformed into a fascinating image. It is not really difficult to shoot this type of effect. The target subject, commonly an interesting "skyline" which is usually near the horizon, should be shot around either the time of sunrise or sunset. The photograph can be made to show shadowy subjects at ground level while giving emphasis on the sky. The effect exaggerates the natural color of the sky.

• Background Interplay

  One may defocus background in order to give special focus on the main image (foreground). Everything else is defocused, the converse may also be done.