Are you looking for a fun activity to do outdoors
with your kids or youth group? All you need is a camera, an eye for
location and a subject (with a solid core) who can hold a pose. Very little photo editing is
required.
First, take a hike. Check with local
hiking groups and online websites to find hikes that are appropriate
for your age children then take them to the summit. Bring lots of water
and snacks. Don't forget the water and bring plenty of water. Did I
mention not to skimp on the water? Bring more water than Brett Kavanaugh
drinks beer. I like beer.
Whatever mountain you
choose, if you are not an experienced hiker, read trail reports to
figure out how long a round trip will take. Plan accordingly. Bring
flashlights (along with water) in case you miscalculate. Chances are
you live near an area with short one or two hour hikes. You can also do
a Google Image search of your chosen peak so you can see pictures of
the summit that other hikers have taken and plan your photo layout in
advance.
Then, look for a ledge, large
flat slabs of granite or a large rock (erratic) that they can lay on.
What is important is for the camera to get either high or low enough to
catch the subject but with either only sky or rock in the background.
If you catch any trees in the background you will have to do some
editing for everything in the background will belie the optical
illusion. This is why you may have to hike to the summit of the mountain
and look for layered ledges or a large erratic. If you try this on a slab of granite, make sure there are no shadows from trees or people which will give away the illusion.
Once
you find your location, safety always comes first. Do you know what
the leading cause of death is while hiking? The selfie.
Find
a crack or bulge in your rock and have your subject lie down on their
side below it with their bottom arm stretched up to the crack or bulge (a more realistic picture will have their arm at a right angle).
They must lie in a straight line. Their upper arm should be relaxed
but held up in the air pointing toward their feet. Their head can be
angled downward and their eyes can look all the way down toward their
feet. This is the "acting" part to give the illusion of awe of the
height. Too much acting will look fake. Anyone brave enough to climb a
cliff won't have the look of fear on their face. Likewise, a real
climber would not hang by his fingertips and smile for a camera. Real
climbing is serious business and poses often look fake or at least, not
dangerous. This should look like a candid pic snapped in the midst of
action.
Now the hard part. The subject
needs to raise both feet and legs off the ground. At least the upper
leg. Point the toes downward, this is very important. Likewise, the
arm should have the relaxed grace of a ballerina. After the picture is
taken, load it into a photo editor and simply rotate it once in the
proper direction then save it.
Another
tip to ensure that the photo looks as real as possible, the subject
shouldn't wear loose clothing, loose long hair and, their shoelaces
should be tucked in. Gravity will grab anything it can to make your
photo look fake.
