This collection of photographs of majestic landmarks around the world do a great job of just how important framing, perspective and lighting are to a photograph. All of these photo pairs are of the same object, but the changes in perspective can make them seem more or less grand.
A change of perspective can change a lot, which applies just as much to photography as it does to anything else in life. Sure, the Brandenburg gate and Mount Rushmore are majestic when framed the right way, but they can look mundane when they aren’t the central focus of the photograph they’re in.
Aside from the composition of these images, some of them also show just how misleading photography can be. Most of us probably imagine that the Taj Mahal is surrounded by pristine gardens because it’s always photographed from the same angle. But the squalid garbage dumps behind it tell another tale. Anyone who hasn’t been to Niagara Falls might think that they’re surrounded by a beautiful national forest instead of a series of tall buildings built on the lip of a nearby cliff.
Of course, not all of these photos reduce the landmarks’ grandeur. The Acropolis, the Arc de Triomphe and New York City’s Central Park all arguably look even better or at least look great in a different way in their second photos. The zoomed-out photos of the Acropolis and the Arc only serve to highlight how those landmarks are focal points of their cities.
h/t: thepobv
1. The Great Pyramids of Giza
Image credits: Edward Ewert
Image credits: Raimond Spekking
2. Stonehenge
Image credits: Amanda White
Image credits: e-architect.co.uk
3. Taj Mahal
Image credits: Marvin Bartels
Image credits: imgur.com
4. The Brandenburg Gate
Image credits: Paul Gamble
Image credits: imgur.com
5. Sagrada Familia
Image credits: Rainer Walter Schmied
Image credits: Aldas Kirvaitis
6. Niagara Falls
Image credits: imgur.com
Image credits: imgur.com
7. The Acropolis
Image credits: imgur.com
Image credits: imgur.com
8. Mount Rushmore
Image credits: Lanis Rossi
Image credits: imgur.com
9. The Forbidden City
Image credits: panoramio.com
Image credits: imgur.com
10. Hollywood
Image credits: imgur.com
Image credits: imgur.com
11. Santorini
Image credits: paowmagazine.com
Image credits: Csilla Zelko
12. Mona Lisa
Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain
Image credits: traveljapanblog.com
13. Central Park, New York City
Image credits: James
Image credits: Sergey Semenov
14. The Arc de Triomphe
Image credits: Kajo Photography
Image credits: imgur.com
15. Little Mermaid
Image credits: wallpaperswiki.com
Image credits: cooldaddypop.com