Watch Out For Verticals That Aren't

This listing photo breaks the unwritten rule we all carry in our heads that vertical lines should appear vertical.


When vertical lines at the left and right sides of the photo are bowed outward like this, it tends to create an uneasy feeling in the viewer, because we all know that the walls should be perfectly upright. It also signifies that the photographer's skills are substandard.

This effect occurs because the photographer has pointed the camera upward or downward. A little up or down angle is OK, but too much causes this distortion to become noticeable. In this case the camera viewpoint is angled downward.

To keep your vertical lines vertical, use fairly shallow camera angles if you are aiming up or down. I like to hold the camera closer to the ground (or floor) to avoid problems like this.

If you discover this problem after the shooting is done, the only way to deal with it is by editing the image. You can "undistort" the lens distortion using Photoshop or other image editing programs.