For me, it’s sometimes disappointing to look through the pictures captured in the latest issue of just about any skiing magazine, or, for that matter, most ski films. I like action shots as much as the next person, but what I don’t enjoy is the appearance that virtually every run being skied by every skier in the magazine, or in the film, is 65 degrees steep. True, there are a handful of people out there who’ve managed descents that challenging, but the vast majority of couloirs, chutes, bowls, tree runs, and other images that are presented, suffer from the same anomaly: foreshortening.
Foreshortening as applied here, is the visual effect which results in a distance appearing shorter than it is because of its angle relative to the viewer. Hence, depending on the position of the cameraperson, a skier can be made to appear as if they are about to tackle the steepest line ever attempted on skis. Usually, the truth is far from that. The same is true of slopes that sometimes look so flat that you wonder how anyone could move forward without double-poling the entire way – often it’s not that flat, either.
This line for example, appears to be about 15-20 degrees, when it's closer to the mid-40 degree range.
What one learns along the way if they take enough pictures, is that camera position relative to the slope is important for a good shot. While I’m an amateur cameraman at best, I understand the concept, so it baffles me why professional photogs so frequently hand in shots for publication that appear much steeper than they actually are. Maybe enhanced steepness, like side orders at the county fair, sells.
To demonstrate what I’m referring to, take a look at the following sequence of pictures. They’re all pictures of the same line taken from various locations. Yet they appear vastly different in terms of steepness depending on position. Looking straight on provides the most aggressive appearance, while looking from the side seems most realistic.
Steep!
Pretty Steep...
Much less steep.
From the top, the line appears flat-ish, with some roller-coaster effect lower down.
The next time you’re handed a picture of the most extreme looking ski descent in human history, remember that most of what you’re seeing is dependent upon the position of the cameraperson. Remember perspective and foreshortening. If the shot is from straight on, it’s probably not as steep as it appears. If it’s from the side, it’s probably a lot more accurate of a representation. These are thoughts to keep in mind before you consider the merits of any run from a single picture or aspect.
Totally awesome! Those photog bastards lol…
Oh that is a very good set of pictures! Interesting.
Michellie – I suppose they’ve got to earn a living, but I’ve never seen a disclaimer stating that the lines in the pictures are not as steep as they appear. Most passenger side automotive mirrors admit this much by stating, ‘objects in mirror are closer than they appear.’ It’s the same concept.
Wendy – Thank you! All in a morning’s work. Somehow I doubt ski filmmakers will stop shooting primarily from the ‘directly in front’ perspective any time soon.