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[brucer007]

I often see people doing Dutch Tilted compositions in their cosplay photos. I like using them too, and I think it can improve a composition, but sometimes it can make a photo awkward to look at.

This forum is an opportunity to celebrate when a Dutch-Tilt makes a photo look more amazing, or to gain insight in how to avoid bad results.

Please post your Dutch-Tilted photos for critiques. Does it work well, or does it have a bad effect? If it did not work, what, if anything, could have made it work? Also, if you post an image, please explain why you decided to tilt your composition.

Critiques can be about any posted images in this forum, not just the image directly above your post. You can comment on photos without posting an image of your own.

I will start it off with one of my Dutch-Tilted cosplay images: I tilted this image to give the fight and extra challenge of balance. It also made less space near their heads, which tightened the composition. I had more room to place the sword in the corner too.



What do you all think?

[the-essy]

I never tried tilt-shifting with photography although it can give a nice effect. The photo above definitely has depth which I like. Normally I hate fighting pics, but here it looks like they're actually fighting. Kudos!

[brucer007]

The term Tilt-Shifting actually has a different meaning than the Tilt I am referring to. There are "Tilt-Shift" lenses that are designed to straighten distortions of converging lines when you look at something like a building that has straight lines. When ever you tilt your lens upwards at a building, the top of the building will look much smaller than the bottom, but if you use a Tilt-Shift lens you can make the building have parallel lines.

Thank you for your compliments on the fight poses. I use real movement during my fight photos. I find still poses usually look fake, especially if hair and costume should look like they are moving.

As you said, I think the camera tilt did add some depth, as it included more height to the background of the glass buildings, and more foreground to the floor. Great observation!

[Missi]

Regardless of what kind of tilt you were going for I love this photo! that's a great way of creating a super engaging composition!

[brucer007]

Thanks Missy. I do think this photo has more excitement from giving it a Tilted composition.

Who else has a Tilted photo to share? What effect were you after for by tilting you camera?

[Convoke]

This was obviously a well thought out composition. My only critique is that the sword on the ground is just barely cropped, which is distracting.

In future, I would either try to crop more of the sword, to make it look intentional, or give it a bit more breathing room. Same applies to the hand closest to the left edge of the shot (though it's not actually cropped).

Personally, I'm not really a fan of Dutch-tilt, as you call it (didn't even know there was a name for it). Most of the time when I see it, though not necessarily in this case, it feels like an afterthought to make the photo "edgy" rather than a deliberate composition choice. However, in some cases (like this, I'd argue) it is well thought out and executed and actually adds to the photo. I'm a big fan of cinematic photography, and in cinema, the camera is rarely off axis. But again, that's just personal preference.

Great job!

[brucer007]

Indeed, the term "Dutch Tilt" is an official name I learned in film school. It was commonly used on the tv show BATMAN with Adam West, to create a feeling of disruption or evil.

I agree with your feedback Convoke. I did also feel, at the time of editing this photo that I wish the swords was better place inside the frame. Actually the fingers were cropped out, but I chose to retouch them to make them complete, within the frame. My tilt was indeed very intentional and considered to create a more dynamic effect. I think it makes her balance on one foot look even more challenging and impressive.

I am still hoping for others to contribute their Dutch Tilted photos to this forum, but for now, here is another of mine. Feel free to comment:

[fotaku]

Originally Posted by brucer007

I often see people doing Dutch Tilted compositions in their cosplay photos. I like using them too, and I think it can improve a composition, but sometimes it can make a photo awkward to look at.

I agree... and would also like to add a choice c) That Dutch Tilt can be someone's style. There's a guy who I watch on DA and 99% of his convention photos are Dutch Tilted at almost the exact same angle. Because of this I can pick out his photos amongst everyone else pretty easily.

I think in the examples you gave the Dutch Tilt greatly improves the composition.

Here's a photo to add to the thread.

[sonikku10]

Originally Posted by fotaku

I agree... and would also like to add a choice c) That Dutch Tilt can be someone's style. There's a guy who I watch on DA and 99% of his convention photos are Dutch Tilted at almost the exact same angle. Because of this I can pick out his photos amongst everyone else pretty easily.

I think I know exactly who you're talking about. Is he FL-based?

I figured I should add one of mine in here.


I used a dutch-tilt to give the flowing cape "animation"... to emphasize the appearance of movement. I think that's how I would put it... in any case, I just think it looks much cooler than it would have had it not been tilted in the first place.

[brucer007]

Thanks for contributing a Dutch Tilt photo Fotaku.

In your photo, your tilt made the vertical lines on the wall become diagonals. I am big on diagonal lines in photos. The tilt also brought the shadow of the cosplayer more into the photo, which helped make for a stronger composition. I don't think the tilt helped or hindered the cosplayer himself.

Who's next? :-)

[errido]

Originally Posted by brucer007

Indeed, the term "Dutch Tilt" is an official name I learned in film school. It was commonly used on the tv show BATMAN with Adam West, to create a feeling of disruption or evil.

I agree with your feedback Convoke. I did also feel, at the time of editing this photo that I wish the swords was better place inside the frame. Actually the fingers were cropped out, but I chose to retouch them to make them complete, within the frame. My tilt was indeed very intentional and considered to create a more dynamic effect. I think it makes her balance on one foot look even more challenging and impressive.

I am still hoping for others to contribute their Dutch Tilted photos to this forum, but for now, here is another of mine. Feel free to comment:

It might just be me, but the tilt in this picture gives makes me confuse. I could not tell if they were lying on the floor or up against the wall. I still have the illusion after I looked at the background. It might be the distance between your models, too. To be honest, I used tilt once and was criticized for that :P but I think you mostly would want to use a tilt if the subject isn't perpendicular to the ground, otherwise it may make people who look at your pictures confused and uncomfortable. It's just my opinion :P

[brucer007]

I like the tilt that sonikku10 posted, because it does bring in more of the jagged cape that would have otherwise been cropped out. It also gave the trees some diagonal lines, which I find adds to the action. A wider leg stance might have been an interesting pose to counter the tilt with firm footing, or a more pronounced arch of the back...Just a thought. There is a blue material hanging down that I wish was also moving.

@ errido I don't mind a tilt to create a feeling of discomfort or disorientation. There are visual clues to tell the viewer that they are mostly upright, since the long hair is not dipping down towards the shorter haired woman. Also, the braids on the girl on the left hand down towards the true ground.

I encourage you not to give up on tilted compositions, just from getting negative criticism. It might have been good, or a miss. Either way, you might use it in a manner that is appreciated too.

[DireKitty]

Originally Posted by brucer007

I am still hoping for others to contribute their Dutch Tilted photos to this forum, but for now, here is another of mine. Feel free to comment:

I really like this one. The fact that it does at first glace seem like the wall is the ground makes the pose look more forceful due to the large, imposing size of the wall. The tilt really lends itself to that and works very well here.

[brucer007]

I appreciate any comments on my own photos shown in this forum, but I also hope others will display their photos that have tilted compositions.

Here is another I did with subtle tilting. You can see the staircase in the distance is not so level (tilting to the left), as well as the walkway the cosplayer is stepping on. I also tilted the cosplayer to the right in her stance when I edited her to this location. Does the tilting add to the composition, take away from it, or not affect it enough to notice?

[Diegator]

I like your last photo, specially because I'm a fan of both the cosplayer and the costume maker, Steve Wang. Composition wise it is solid, giving the subject a powerful stance accentuating the legs due to the perspective. However, I don't think the tilt is signifficant enough to even be noticeable. The perspective lines overpower whatever additional angle was created by tilting, in m opinion.

I wish I had something else to contribute at this time, but I'm posting from my phone. Cheers!