Capture a sideways view of the world

Paul Grogan explains how to capture a decidedly sideways view of the world

the mission

To shoot a fun and original portrait

time needed

10 minutes

skill level

Anyone can do it Some tricky aspects Advanced technique

Kit needed

Nikon D-SLR

Shooting the world sideways is nothing new, but it is great fun, and by getting a bit creative, you can give it your own, ahem, slant.

The key to maintaining the illusion that your sideways world is the right way up is to find a suitable location, where the ground could realistically become a wall, and the wall could realistically be the ground.

With a location sorted, it’s time to think about how your subjects might interact with your new world: we tried a death-defying dangle, a more casual reading shot and an even more casual lean (see below). Settings-wise, an aperture of f/5.6 in aperture priority mode using auto ISO is as complicated as it needs to get. More important is creating the illusion that your new sideways world is the right way up…