Things Don't Always Have to be Level

Sometimes inadvertently the photos we take end up a little off kilter.  We squat down or lean over in weird positions to get 'the perfect shot', but with our own vision at a weird angle, sometimes almost sideways, its difficult to ensure that the photo you are taking is level.  While leveling it out may be your goal and produce a great photo leaving it a little off kilter can sometimes be more dramatic and just as nice.  

Here is an example:

These are both good photos.  Actually, its the same photo.  I took the unlevel one with my camera and then cropped it so it was level.  But, you can see from the unlevel photo that it looks a little more dramatic rather than just a static old fire truck sitting there.  This technique works best when you are focusing on a particular subject rather than a large landscape.  Also, usually the closer you are to a subject the more this technique is successful.  Being far away, as in if I were 100 yards farther from this firetruck, would allow more visual cues into the photo that indicate a proper horizon and perspective. 

While off-kilter photos don't always work it can be a break from dead level scenes and subjects.  Try it out the next time you are out taking photos or doing a photo  shoot!