“It [zooming] creates a different emotion- when you zoom in, it’s like focusing on a detail in a painting. It’s looking at a painting and realizing there’s someone in the corner of that room, holding a knife.”
-M. Night Shyamalan

Have you seen that episode of How I Met Your Mother where Ted is dating a girl who talks too much but he doesn’t realise that is the case until Marshall points it out?

In turn, each characters’ annoying habits are pointed out to each other: Lily’s loud chewing, Robyn’s overuse & misuse of the word “literally”, Marshall’s habit of singing a narration to his everyday life and Ted’s constant correcting people. As they each find out there is a smashing of glass sound effect and then all they can see is that person’s annoying habit.

Here is your warning, people, I’m about to shatter some glass in your world. Turn away now if you don’t want mainstream professional portrait photography ruined for you for the rest of your life.

It’s called the Dutch Angle. You don’t know the name of it, but you have seen it, and seen it and seen it. A friend told me about it on the weekend and now I can’t see past it.

A Dutch Angle is when the shot is taken from a tilted camera angle, often from a low position. It was originally used in German Expressionist films of the 1930s. It was used to create a sense of madness, unrest, exoticness, and disorientation. Fair enough. It was used in nearly EVERY shot in the 1960s Batman series adding to the crazy carnival effect that the camp costumes already projected.

So why to I am I seeing it in every second professional wedding photo or family portrait?! I can’t look anywhere anymore without bumping into these darn Dutchies and it is really starting to unnerve ME.

Are tripod legs too expensive for photographers these days? Try watching Thor now without thinking about Dutch Angles. Or Battlefield Earth. *SMAAAAAASH*

M. Night Shyamalan likes a bit of the old Dutch. But with restraint, like everything about creepy old Shyamalan’s films. Maybe if they had some more Dutch in them I would be more into them? Like a double negative?

I was having a trip down memory lane yesterday looking at my wedding photos, and what did I find? THIS!!!

There is no escape.