Is tilt bad for photographs?

[trvl_girl]

Hi everyone, I'm new here and wanted to know if I should or shouldn't even try "tilt" photography. I wanted to get your opinions and feedback on it.

A friend said not too, that tilt in portrait style photography is a no no.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Nicole]

It's one of those things that you can opt to use or not. I'm not a big fan of tilted photos. But other people are. And sometimes it really does work well. The only things I can recommend are that if you're going to tilt your photos (1) don't do it on landscapes, especially if there's water and (2) make sure you tilt your photo enough that it looks intentional... so make it really obvious you intended to tilt it.

[BCampbell]

I find it most effective when there's some kind of diagonal line as a focal poinl. Setting that line parallel to one side of the frame can give you some interesting geometry, eye movement, or create a false horizon.

[Nicole]

That's a great tip BCampbell. I can actually visualize that and see why that's a great tip for when it works well.

[inkista]

"Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so."

It's a tool. You can use it to good effect or you can abuse it.

The trick with tilt photography is to know what the gradient blur is actually doing. It's supposed to be mimicing the blur caused by a narrow DoF. If the blur doesn't coincide with depth cues in the photograph, it's not going to work.

If your gradient is a horizontal one, then what's at the top of the photo better damn well be farther away than what's at the bottom. Ditto if you do a vertical blur, your distance cues better be from left to right (which is pretty much what the other posters are saying). Otherwise, you're going to have to get more sophisticated and do depth maps.

Not sure if I agree with the landscape/water thing, though. But that's probably just me. Then again, I'm too damn lazy to do it in post, and prefer doing it in-camera.


Canon XT. Hartblei 80mm f/2.8 Super-Rotator. iso 100, f/2.8, 1/1600s. 8° tilt upwards. SOOC.

For me, the big key to getting a successful tilt-shift is to have an overhead point of view. It's very difficult to get a good toy-model effect if you're shooting straight on, much easier if you are above the subject, because then you get that top=far away, bottom=closest type of framing very naturally and easily.

[jdepould]

Are we talking about tilt-shift or cocking the camera to one side?

If it's the latter, don't do it without a compelling reason. It won't make an otherwise boring shot interesting, but it can make an interesting shot pop, or draw attention to a specific element in the frame.

[wulf]

Originally Posted by jdepould

Are we talking about tilt-shift or cocking the camera to one side?

If it's the latter, don't do it without a compelling reason. It won't make an otherwise boring shot interesting, but it can make an interesting shot pop, or draw attention to a specific element in the frame.

I was wondering the same thing but I think your words of wisdom apply to both approaches (and plenty of others too). The more compelling your reasons for making particular choices about how to take a photo, the more compelling that photo is likely to be.

Wulf

[IainM]

Originally Posted by Nicole

(1) don't do it on landscapes, especially if there's water

But seriously, generally tilt is bad, but hey, if it makes a photo look cool - do it!

hrm, dunno why the uploaded image is messed up there... weird. but yeah, you get the idea, its more for tongue and cheek than anything else.

[x_eternity_x]

I think everything depends on your background. If you have a horizon line in the photo, tilt will tend to be very distracting, but there are situations where you can make it work. Generally I've found it most effective when the background is relatively the same all around, but this is also because that is when it's easiest to use. I'd say play around with it, with a very specific caveat--just remember that tilting the camera isn't going to make your image great on it's own. Composition is what you need to be paying attention to, and if the best composition means you tilt the camera, then do it.

One of the best ways to learn is to try things, though, so don't be afraid to just go for it and figure out for yourself what you like and what you don't. If it forces you to work on your composition, I think you'll find that all your shots improve because you tried it.

[wulf]

I think IainM's photo is a good example of creative use of tilt - he has captured a situation where there is a marked dissonance between first impressions and what should be the "correct" orientation.

Wulf