Aug '22

Hey everyone,
I was working on this piece when my wife showed up and told me I have a perspective problem: my 3rd (vertical) point, the one upwards.

She told me that the tree in the foreground should be straight as it's close to us and that the space left monocolor for the big door should also be less deformed.

Have I placed my 3rd vanishing point not far high enough? Maybe I needed to place it more to the left near the center?
Can anyone help me?

Aug '22

I think it's more a problem with the horizon line being quite high. If you imagine yourself in the scene you'd basically be looking straight ahead, so there's little reason for the vertical perspective being this strong.

Also, there more of the horizon is visible the less good of an approximation 3-point-perspective is compared to what would be observed with a camera or the human eye, because everything below the horizon line moves further away from the viewer instead of closer (which is what 3-point-perspective suggests).

All in all I would either use 2-point-perspective for this scene or tilt the camera way more. Or just keep it the way it is, maybe moving the vertical vanishing point further out. I don't really mind the perspective that much.

Aug '22

Yes. You are right, your 3rd vanishing point is too low.....For your wife.

However everything seems to be lining up just fine with your construction setup you have. Your aesthetic does make for a bit of a fish eye distorted view, without the curving of the perspective lines a fish eye lens has.

If you raise it (the third vanishing point) and straighten it out a bit it will just make your 3rd vanishing point will make your picture more "normal" like a two point perspective.

The question should be, do you the composer want that or not. The second opinion you got sounds like it might have been more about personal appeal than technicality. But don't tell them I said that. :wink:

If you make the door and the tree straight they will stand out like a sore thumb and make for a very strange composition, and become the focal points because of their perspective contrast with the environment.

Sep '22

Thank you! That's super helpful to me.
From reading both responses here, I guess I could elevate my 3rd point (and probably will) to let the door be the focal point.
Many thanks again :smile:

Sep '22

Hope this isn't too late.
I'm willing to be corrected on this, but I have never seen a two point perspective where one of the vanishing points is visible, both of them should really be out of frame, and I think that is what is creating the fish bowl effect. Also that rocky thing on the left isn't following the zenith (third point) so that probably is distorting things too.
I think your zenith is also too low, that sort of steep gradient looks better on skyscrapers, etc.

Have had a quick overpaint if that's ok. Moved the left vp out beyond the frame and stretched the zenith up to look more comfortable to the (my) eye.