We have been discussing the correction of distortions that can arise when photographing paintings, doorways and such. One solution is found in Photoshop where a mode in the cropping tool can be used to square up images taken from oblique angles.

This mode, meant primarily to rectify, can also be used to distort. That which is already head-on can be given an oblique perspective.

This is an example using one of Tree’s houses. Here we see the image as she posted it.

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I applied the perspective tool, cropping extensively on the right-hand side, but not on the left. I clicked on the image and the program made its corrections. Instead of straight on, the view is now oblique. Note that, while the clapboard takes on a nice sense of perspective, the bushes become a sort of hybrid. It’s almost as though they are cardboard cutouts arranged along the sidewalk. This can be seen as another potential topic in the long discussion about depth and flatness in art.

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This capability has been handy for manipulating stock images. The next example is a modification of a head-on shot of Notre Dame Cathedral taken from across the plaza. By changing the perspective I found myself hovering where few have been, near the façade and a hundred feet or more in the air.

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These are other examples where I have moved in for a frog’s eye view of some lily pads.

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In adjusting the perspective, the surface of the water becomes a spatially fluid thing and the plants lose their accustomed relationships. Pity the frog.

What ideas would you have for this?