Tilt and Shift Movements-Part II

Recap : Last month you read about the basics of tilt/shift movements and their effect on images. You also looked at various types of equipment that can offer movements. In this concluding part you can read how tilting and shifting the lens can solve specific photographic problems and also add artistic effects.

- Ashok Kandimalla

Applications using tilt:

Increasing DOF: This is based on what is called the Scheimpflug Effect. This states that if the focal plane and the lens plane are tilted such that they intersect each other and if the plane of focus (also called subject plane) when extended passes through this intersection point, you will get a vastly increased zone of sharp focus! Ok, that sounds a bit complicated but really not so. Just look at Pictures 1 and 2.

Creating a wedge of focus

Tilt and swing movements can be used to get only a wedge of correct focus. This is often used in product and fashion photography to emphasize just a small area by keeping it in sharp focus while the rest is blurred (Picture 5).

The tilt operation can also be used to produce a band of sharp focus in a landscape photography, to create the socalled ‘miniature’ effect (Picture 6).

Applications using shift

Correcting perspective: This is perhaps the most widely used application. Pointing the camera up will cause a perspective error making a building appear as if it is leaning back (Picture 7). To avoid this, keep the camera level and parallel to the face of the building and correct the perspective (Picture 8) by using rise movement (Picture 9).

Removing a reflection: This is an interesting and an unusual application. It is something that cannot be done in post-processing. You often see in photographs, a straight (that is a direct) reflection of a person (or an object) in the mirror. Such a reflection can only be taken with the camera directly behind the subject since angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection as per the laws of optics. However, you will not see the camera at all in the reflection! How is this possible? The trick here is as follows: