Parallax in Photography
Friday, June 13, 2008 @ 14:45
Parallax might sound like a fancy word, but all it refers to is the "apparent" movement of two fixed points that one would see if you changed positions. As you move, fixed objects will appear to have different backgrounds and it seems that they have moved. This is as a result of parallax, because, obviously, the objects have remained in the same position as they were originally.
This concept of "apparent motion" is important in photography, because as the photographer changes his position in order to get a desired shot, his relationship to his subject, as well as the subject's relationship to its background, will also change. This presents an interesting way in which photographers can obtain different effects by experimenting with parallax and taking shots at different angles in order to pin down the perfect angle at which to take a particular photo.
The term parallax has also been used to refer to the difference between the way a camera's viewfinder and lens pick up a given image. Because the lens "sees" an image in a different way than does the viewfinder, photographers need to make sure they also check their viewfinders to see what image is being displayed there. They can then have a more accurate idea of how the scene they are preparing to shoot will look in the resulting photo.
The whole concept of parallax provides us with a range of areas in which to experiment and see what results are produced. It is only by photographers doing this type of "trial and error" work that some of the most stunning photographs in history have been created.
