AOP part 12: Dutch Angle

I'm a big fan of the "Dutch" angle - the tilted frame. At one time I would use an automated script to allow me to select images as shot and with a 20 degree tilt forward and backward.

This is definitely better done in camera as you control the crop and composition. Doing it in post processing means your image has to be cropped to an extent to accommodate the tilt.

Historically it actually comes from "Deutch" which is "German" in, er, German. It was a technique developed by the impressionist film makers in the 1920's in Germany.

While horizontal and vertical lines give a more stable composition, diagonal lines are more dynamic, they convey motion.

But they also help support emotion too, in particular anxiety, aggression, tension and to some extent power and humour.

Here the tilted angle combined with Maja's expression clearly conveys a mix of concern, confusion, anxiety and aggression. The image is quite evocative and has no clear emotional message which makes it more intriguing.

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