When we take a photograph, a three-dimension world is translated onto a flat 2D piece, we can play and have a lot of fun by diminishing the scale in a way that tricks the viewer’s eye. When the perspective of the image is intentionally manipulated by the photographer in order to create a fun photo, we call it forced perspective photography.

Salar de Uyuni is the perfect place to play with perspective and take cool and hilarious photos! For a bit of inspiration take a look at the pics below:

Perspective photography is not as easy as it looks but with a bit of patience the results are worth the extra effort. Ready to give it a go? How to start? For Uyuni photography tips & ideas, follow the short guidebelow:

1. Location. Yes, the backdrop helps quite lot here. The Uyuni salt flats are the largest in the world with a surface over 10 000 square kilometers (over 4,000 square miles). This enormous white vastness blends with the horizon. The seemingly endless white terrain and the lack of visual reference points in the horizon will help us to trick the eyes, giving us a chance to take amazing forced-perspective photos. Great combo: almost perfectly flat and one uniform white color.
2. Use interesting props. Our guides-drivers will have some funny props available for you (think of the dinosaus attack scene or the giant llama! Or the balancing act on your shoe strings), you can take your own as well of course! Think of things that will easily stand up without any support. Any object will do: your shoes, your hat or the salad bowl. This is where the fun actually begins! Create your own scene for the photo or video!
3. Think about the composition ahead of time. Try to think of scenes that involve a distant object to be on top of a closer one and keep your image simple. The rest is usually a simple matter of placing the subjects in the right places relative to the camera so you can create the optical illusion: The big thing needs to be far away to appear small, and the small thing needs to be placed up close to appear big. Never activate zoom on your camera or place the objects too close. Take a lot photos until you are happy with the results, it is not easy getting the perfect positioning of all of the subjects. Work with a partner and experiment with different ideas.
4. The depth of field. The tricky aspect here is the depth of field, you need to adjust it carefully, if it’s not done correctly then one of the objects will be out of focus. Learn how to use the parameters of your camera. Use a narrow aperture, the smaller the diaphragm aperture (f) the better the depth of field is. Using your iphone is the best and easy way to get great results, but you will have to adjust the depth of field as well.

This kind of photos are not only fun to make, but the results are so instagramable! Your followers will love them, they will be drawn in as they try to figure out what the photographer did.

More? How about the dreamy reflective photos during the rainy season, when the Uyuni salt flats become the world’s largest reflecting mirror? The reflection photos get even better at night, you won’t believe the mind-blowing night sky photography that is possible during our Uyuni stargazing tour, with million of stars above and below you. Check our page on the best season to visit salar de Uyuni and choose the right time for you according to your (photography) plans.

More inspiration? Check our instagram account for amazing photos and let your creativity flow wild!  Do you have more Uyuni photography tips & ideas? Contact us and let us know!