When photographing a wedding you can use this clever technique to alter the height and perspective of the couple.

Many people ask me what height the camera should be held at to capture the image true to life. This question assumes you want the image to be true to life. Camera height is one technique that you can use to good effect.

The camera height for a full length picture should normally be one that does not require the camera to be tilted to include the full figures. The starting point for it is in the region of the height of just above the subject's waist.

With the camera at this height look into the viewfinder and assess the shot. You may decide to raise or lower the camera to give different stature to the subjects or to cut their apparent height.

On the other hand you may adjust the height because the background is intrusive. For example, although the camera height may be right for the bride and groom, tree branches or other intrusive objects above the bride's head may show if you hold the camera too low.

This type of mistake demonstrates a lack of observation on the part of the photographer, each photograph has to be individually assessed and a suitable judgment made.

The bride and groom can be made to look quite tall by holding the camera lower than normal. This technique can also be used to make short people look taller, however be cautious of the small stout person.

A low viewpoint can also be successfully used to hide unwanted backgrounds, for example litter, fences, signs, and so on. You do need to be careful if you are including more of the sky by taking a lower viewpoint. It is most effective when you are eliminating the sky completely by using bushes and shrubs trees etc for a background.

A higher viewpoint can hide the sky but your shots will suffer from making the subjects look smaller.

This type of shot is typical of tall photographers working with camera hand held. It is definitely not a good technique for small customers!