We'll be meeting on Wednesday April 1st from 10.15am- honest, it's not an April Fools but our theme could be as it's going to be "Forced perspective"

This is the technique where fore and background objects interact to give a false sensse of reality. The best (most well known) examples would be the pictures of people holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa or Stonhenge or holding the sun in their hand! We have a series of exercises for you to try out both by yourself and with the rest of the group and will be using the objects on Herne Bay sea front as our specimens [Can you hold up the clock tower or indeed push it down)

📸 Forced Perspective Photography Practice Plan

Introduction & Warm-Up

• Objective: Understand the concept of forced perspective.
• Activity:
  • Review examples (e.g., “holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa,” “giant coffee cup,” “tiny person in a shoe”).
  • Quick discussion: how distance, angles, and scale tricks the eye.
  • Warm-up: Take 2–3 quick shots of everyday objects (like a pen and a mug) to test scale illusions.

📸 Herne Bay Forced‑Perspective Shot List

🕰️ 1. Clock Tower

1. Pinching the Tower

• Setup: Photographer crouches low; subject stands 20–30m behind.
• Pose: Fingers pinched as if lifting the tower.
• Tip: Keep the tower centred between finger pads.

2. Kicking the Tower Over

• Setup: Subject jumps sideways in foreground.Pose: A playful “flying kick” aimed at the tower.
• Tip: Use burst mode to catch the peak of the jump.

🎡 2. Pier Village & Helter Skelter

3. Holding the Helter Skelter

• Setup: Subject close to camera, palm flat; helter skelter in distance.Pose: Hand outstretched like offering a tiny toy.
• Tip: Tilt the camera slightly upward to exaggerate scale.

4. Leaning on the Helter Skelter

• Setup: Subject stands sideways, shoulder angled toward the structure.Pose: Pretend to prop it up or push it over.
• Tip: Keep the horizon straight for realism.

5. Tiny Person in a Beach Hut Window

• Setup: Photographer kneels; subject stands far behind the hut.
• Pose: Wave or peek out as if inside the hut.
• Tip: Use the hut frame as a natural border.

🌊 3. Promenade (Long Straight Stretch)

6. Giant vs Tiny Person Chase

• Setup: One person very close to the lens; the other 40–60m away.
• Pose: Foreground “giant” strides forward; background “tiny” runs away.
• Tip: Keep both subjects in the same vertical line.

7. Walking on a Hand

• Setup: Foreground hand held flat; background person steps onto it.
• Pose: Mid‑step looks best.
• Tip: Shoot from very low to stretch the distance.

8. Drinking the Sea from a Cup

• Pose: Tilt cup as if sipping.
• Tip: Works beautifully at golden hour.

🌬️ 4. Neptune’s Arm / Breakwater

9. Holding Back the Waves

• Setup: Subject stands sideways, hands out like pushing the sea.
• Pose: Leaning forward adds drama.
• Tip: Use a fast shutter if waves are lively.

10. Fishing for the Sun

• Setup: Stick, rope, or imaginary line; sun low on horizon.
• Pose: Cast the “line” toward the sun.
• Tip: Best done 10–20 minutes before sunset. (one for later folks!)

11. Sitting on the Edge of the World

• Setup: Subject sits on the breakwater; photographer lies low.
• Pose: Feet dangling as if perched on a giant ledge.
• Tip: Keep the sea filling the background for scale.

🎠 5. Return Toward the Pier (Twilight Shots)

12. Silhouette Giant

• Setup: Subject close to camera; pier lights behind.
• Pose: Hands on hips or reaching down to “pick up” someone far away.
• Tip: Expose for the sky to get crisp silhouettes.

13. Lantern Lift

• Setup: Subject holds a phone torch or small light; pier lights align above.
• Pose: As if lifting the whole pier by a glowing thread.
• Tip: Works well once the sky turns blue‑purple.

🎒 Optional Props Shot List

Scarf/rope: Pretend to pull the pier toward you.We share our 'best' three to four pictures after the event in a dedicated "Dropbox" area which can be accessed via the underlined link

Paper cup: Someone “falls into it” or “scoops up the sea.”

Sunglasses: Another person “stands inside” the lens.