Perspective, perspective, perspective.

I found the reading to be very helpful. I was most in tune with the section titled "Vantage Point".

I think that the position of the camera in relation to the subjects can create a unique perspective and totally change the mood of the photograph.

Think of the classic rock & roll band performance picture. Think of a band you know that is widely liked. Odds are that picture was taken from ground level pointing up at the stage. The perspective is spot on; a mega-god of rock is playing their collective heart out night after night, living a life that many can only dream of living.

Now, pretend that you do not know who they are. What does the picture say to you, what emotion does it bring? I wonder who they are and if they are any good or just making fools of themselves.

How would you communicate their super-star power? I would change the perspective totally. I imagine putting the camera on the stage, the subjects between the lens and the arena full of metal-heads. I would place the camera at stage level to keep the god-of-rock perspective that shooting from the arena floor brings, yet show the viewer that they must be good because they can sell out the venue. I would still wonder who they are, but I think that not being able to see their faces, just the silhouettes of their bodies against the sea of stage-lights, flash bulbs and lighters leads the viewer to want to know more about who they are. Maybe will lead the viewer to look at the image a little longer, trying to figure out just who the band is.

Yet another possibility is to place the camera at a high vantage point, far from the stage, shooting back towards the massive structure of metal, lights and speakers. A wide-angle lens allows the viewer to feel like they were there, a member of the audience of thousands that could barely afford nosebleed tickets to hear the band. This perspective immerses the viewer in the scene. It is how they would have seen it if they were there.

I think that the vantage point from which a photograph is taken is quite possibly one of the most important things when composing a photograph as it can subconsciously lead the viewer to feel a certain way about the subject.