Surprisingly small changes to the position of your camera can actually make your images much more successful. Ed over at Photos In Color decided to set himself the challenge of trying to make the perfect headshot in studio conditions. While keeping the lighting and the camera distance from the model the same each time, various heights and angles were tested and carefully captured so the differences could be compared.

Having this scientific and controlled approach really does allow you to see those subtle changes which you sometimes might miss in the heat of a photoshoot. Now even though the changes are rather small and may even be undetectable to most, those unconscious signals given out from a portrait could really be the difference between an image being just good or really great.

It’s actually fascinating to see in the video how the differences in the camera’s position can actually alter the shape of the model’s shoulders and head. Knowing how to control these changes to your advantage is a valuable skill when working with models of all shapes and sizes.

Take a look to see the findings yourself and decide on which combination of height and angle are most appropriate for your next masterpiece. I’d love to hear which images were your favorite and why. Personally, I preferred the more dynamic angles when the camera was moved away from the center as they are more dramatic, but that’s just me.