Up nose shots vs shooting from a low angle
As someone who photographs BJD’s I often find it interesting how utterly reviled the notion of the ‘up nose’ shot is and by default the idea of shooting dolls from a low angle is usually considered one in the same. The thing is though, they’re really not the same thing at all. When we hear the term ‘up the nose shot’ we all think of a doll that’s been plonked down, it’s head at an awkward and unnatural angle, obvious neck joint and a haphazard photo in general, usually with little thought having gone into it. I think we can all agree that those are never the most attractive shots. But, and this is important, it isn’t simply because of the angle it was shot at. The angle doesn’t help in those cases because it’s one that takes a little more consideration than others to get the best out of it that doesn’t mean we should never shoot our dolls from lower down.
The angle a photo’s taken from along with other compositional decisions on the part of the photographer effect how an image is read, if you look at my photos above there’s two each shot from above, on the dolls level and below, the sets have very different feels to them. Of course that isn’t purely because of where they’re shot from but that, like other elements in a photo, all go towards deciding how a viewer reads the photo. When we take photos of people, taking photos from an unusual angle gives them a more dynamic and unusual feel because it’s different from our natural eyeline, it gives an alternate view of the subject and shooting from below is often a good trick for imbuing the subject with a sense of power over the viewer and vise-versa for shooting from above. Of course when we’re shooting dolls we’re dealing with subjects that are much smaller so even if we’re not rolling around on the floor it’s beneficial to get down on their level. It’s easy then to shoot from above but getting down to the dolls eyeline actually helps sell the illusion that they’re ‘real’. It’s a weird paradox really, the thing we usually avoid when shooting people is what helps sell photos of dolls.
But getting even lower can help give the same sense of dynamism and visual interest. The thing with dolls though is of course those pesky joints. But just because they are something we have to consider and can pay attention too to either disguise or work around doesn’t mean the shot can’t potentially work. It’s all about the attention to detail. Personally I find it’s that attention to detail that separates the haphazard ‘up nose’ shots from more successful photos.
I think when people poo poo low shots wholesale based on the poorly considered up nose shots you see around they’re missing out on a useful tool. That isn’t to say every shot ever should be shot from a low view point but dismissing it is deliberately ignoring a useful compositional technique. I’ve heard the argument that the angle is unflattering or “no doll looks pretty from below like that” but then you have to consider that not every photo is about making the subject look pretty (the photography world would be very boring if it was) they might be about telling a story, or exploring an idea or aesthetic and so on, so that particular argument never really holds up for me.
So I guess in short, what I’m saying is; don’t be afraid of experimenting or playing around with angles just because it’s a tricky one and people poo poo it, and definitely don’t let yourself be limited by the notion all doll photos have to be ‘pretty’.
