What's Your Point of View?

How do you see the world? Your point of view depends on so many things: where you look, how tall you are, what interests you.

Make Your Own Viewfinder

A viewfinder is a simple tool for looking at the world around you. It’s the perfect way to find your photo skills before you ask a grown-up to borrow a camera and take photos.

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I Spy

Taking photos is a perfect way to show your point of view! First, learn about lining up your view with a homemade viewfinder, and then learn some fun photo tips to help you show your view.

Rule of Thirds

Take that viewfinder you made to learn about the rule of thirds. Pictures are more fun when you change up where the subject is within the frame. The rule of thirds just means to line up the subject of your photo in the middle of four of your viewfinder squares, where the lines overlap.

Photography Tips and Tricks

If you have an interesting subject, don’t be afraid to fill the entire frame with it. Try to photograph a bicycle wheel, a flower or a fun pattern!

Sometimes zooming out is the answer instead of filling the whole frame. You can do this by leaving empty space in the photograph so the subject really stands out.

You can do lots with lighting! One easy trick is taking photos by a window in your house. Be careful of backlighting, which is when it’s very bright behind your subject. It can make the person or thing you are photographing too dark to see.

“Perspective” is a fancy word for the view you have based on where you are. Photographers decide where to stand to capture the best view of their subjects. Perspective can also mean a way we see the world. For example, when you learn about how kids in poverty live, you gain a new perspective.

Photo Fun

If you like taking photos, try these fun photography activities! You will build skills and learn to see things from different points of view.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

Go on a photo scavenger hunt with a friend! Set a time limit and choose a category below. See how many items in the category you can photograph before time runs out. Have fun comparing photos and seeing how you have unique points of view.

Neighborhood

  • streetlight

  • red flower

  • mailbox

  • someone laughing

  • blue door

  • bike

  • someone jumping

  • tree

  • street sign

  • fence

Selfies

  • looking surprised

  • with a book

  • standing in the sun

  • lying on the ground

  • holding something red

  • with water

  • making a silly face

  • with a number

  • smiling

  • with something fun

Around the House

  • blue socks

  • green marker

  • salt shaker

  • puzzle piece

  • stuffed animal

  • brown shoe

  • book

  • toothbrush

  • coin

  • lamp

Playing With Perspective

To experiment with the idea of perspective, here’s a fun activity.

Did you ever notice that things that are far away look tiny? Even mountains look small from far away. When you get closer, you see that they aren’t tiny — it all depends on where YOU are. It’s called “depth perception.”

Forced perspective is a fun trick photographers do to play with depth perception. To make something or someone look small, it should be far away from the camera. To make something or someone look large, put it closer to the camera. Playing with both can make some funny things happen.

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The Hand Shelf

  1. Have two people, your subjects, stand side by side.
  2. Person 1 backs up 10 or 15 steps and stands still.
  3. Person 2 holds their hand out like a shelf. Line up your camera to make it look like the hand is holding up Person 1.
  4. Take a photo.
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Stuffed Godzilla

  1. Tie a string to a stuffed animal.
  2. Go outside and back up far away from your house or another building. Dangle the toy close to the camera so it looks like it’s a giant monster climbing up the side of the building.
  3. Take a photo of your stuffed animal’s “attack!”

Look Out Below!

  1. Have one person back far away from you and your camera.
  2. Sit on the ground. Have a second person stand close to you and lower a foot down so it looks big in your camera’s view. Line it up with the person in the background so it looks like it’s about to step on them.
  3. Take a photo and laugh about it!
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Just Out of Reach

  1. Have two people stand side by side. Person 1 backs up 10 or 15 steps and reaches their hands overhead.
  2. Close to the camera, Person 2 dangles a ball or toy above, so it looks like they are holding it just out of reach of Person 1.
  3. Take the photo.