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How to Capture Steepness?

dan ross

Making fresh tracks
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Beyond what Phil related, a normal lens view will better capture actual lateral slope pitch versus a wide angle lens. That is also why smartphones may be mediocre choices. Also note, a lens will have more distortion if not held level horizontal that shows as bending elements at frame edges. Even if a camera is held horizontal, cheaper lenses may show edge bending though that can be improved in Photoshop.

Additionally having elements like vertical trees in an image helps perception of slope angle. And of course, capturing an image when lighting allows good snow slope detail and shading is important for any image. Thus a shot in flatter light or direct light or with too much shade are negatives.
Agree - anything wider than a 35 mm focal length tends to push the foreground out, essentially distorting what you see . 50-70 mm or “ normal” focal length more accurately depicts what the eye sees. Agree with Phil and others, you need a reference point to accurately convey steepness.
When shooting uphill, get low - like on your knees low - to convey steepness, especially with a wider lens . You see this at W.C. events- the photographers on the course are all low , on their knees so they can convey the steepness and swivel to follow the skier.
 

cantunamunch

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Front views is really tough to get a good perspective.
Hiking, cycling, skiing ... How do experienced outdoor photographers capture pitch? Where should I stand with respect to the athlete and the hill? What should I make sure to include in the frame? What should I crop out? How should I leverage portrait vs. landscape orientation?

I was thinking about this thread while walking about.

Have any of you noticed that:

Shooting downhill makes Christmas lights look better?

Hollywood Christmas lights and ornaments are about 5x the size of normal ones?
 

Rdputnam515

Getting off the lift
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So this guy takes this woman up to this couloir. She tries to go, clings to the hill, and decides to back up out of the drop. She can't manage, so he grabs her jacket and pulls her up out of it. She stands up on the ridge and for some reason takes her skis off.

And then he skis down it, leaving her to figure out what to do on her own? What was he thinking she would do? She was obviously unable to ski it on her own.

Were they really together, or was she by herself up there and he just got there as she was starting down?

The comments are disturbing.

that toboggan looked just like a person
 

dan ross

Making fresh tracks
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I was thinking about this thread while walking about.

Have any of you noticed that:

Shooting downhill makes Christmas lights look better?

Hollywood Christmas lights and ornaments are about 5x the size of normal ones?
Hollywood Christmas lights are brighter and color balanced and put on rheostats so they “ read”. Same with moldings - they are deeper ( more pronounced 3 dimensionally ) so they don’t flatten out which the camera has a tendency to do.
 

SSSdave

life is short precious ...don't waste it
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My S track on Monte Wolf at Kirkwood, a 50% to 60% grade winch groomed slope. Cropping with a minimal height of sky helps frame a direct image with a steeper perception. Note shadows from sun off to frame left just after lift opened at 9am thus surface was yet unmutilated corduroy with excellent texture illumination.

KP1095b.jpg
 

cantunamunch

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^that shot reminds me of Salomon's Nordic Challenge headline shot (similar structure visibility, similar shadow angle, the only big difference is the position of the vanishing point)

1640883224029.png
 

cantunamunch

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The contrast slope of the peak in the background helps more.

I'm convinced that turning the steepness plane towards the viewer is part of the problem - try it with your phone now. Hold it side on at any given tilt. Then, without removing the tilt, turn it so that the screen partially faces you. Boom- the moment it rotates towards you part of the apparent steepness is gone.

It's kind of easy for the brain to think that vertical objects in the foreground are centers of just such rotation. It's very difficult for the brain to think that a disconnected object in the background is rotated towards the viewer. That dead tree in the left center of the bottom shot is the one that really anchors it - for this viewer at least. :D
 
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