Move the camera, move the overlap
An original camera-club and classroom activity from Honest Little Apps

Ready-to-print handout
Print Asterfold-Viewpoint-Field-Card.pdf at actual size or fit to printable area. One US Letter sheet per pair. A black-and-white printer works. The exercise needs a phone or camera, a nearby object with a clear edge and a second, distant object or mark. Ten minutes is a suggested session length.

Suggested calendar or newsletter copy
What changes a picture more: cropping it or taking one step sideways? In this ten-minute camera-club exercise, pairs predict which way a background feature will move against a foreground object. They take two pictures, make one crop and compare the results. The exercise works indoors with a pencil and a mark on a distant wall, and each pair leaves with an example that shows the difference.

Suggested facilitator notes
Let the pair choose safe, level footing and a fixed far mark. Frame A with the near edge overlapping the far mark. Ask one person to predict before anyone moves. For frame B, the photographer moves sideways, keeps the zoom setting and recentres the far mark. Cropping B changes the visible boundaries. It preserves the overlap between the same two features. If A and B look alike, move the near object closer or move the camera a little farther sideways. Each pair should explain what the change bought them compositionally. If a person would rather stay seated, slide the camera between two supported positions at a table.

Illustration description
Two diagrams show a foreground twig before a distant fixed dot. In A, the twig overlaps the dot. In B, the dot stays in the same position in the image and the twig has moved to its left. The drawn diagrams illustrate alignment, not celestial positions or actual app screenshots.

Publisher disclosure
Honest Little Apps created this field card and publishes Asterfold: Sunset Planner. Asterfold is an optional iPhone/iPad app. The free tier includes framing and planning for two viewpoints. Additional viewpoints and a longer outlook require an optional purchase. Apple lists an on-device sun-path calculation with a flat horizon; terrain and buildings are outside this model. The exercise works without the app, local forecasts or an internet connection.

Apple listing: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/asterfold-sunset-planner/id6806044403
General background used to check terminology: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/tips-and-solutions/viewpoint-and-perspective-in-photographic-composition

Reuse
Honest Little Apps permits clubs, classrooms and newsletter editors to print, use and redistribute the original field card and copy above free of charge with publisher credit. This permission covers only the supplied original material; it does not grant rights to Apple content, app screenshots or any external photos. No mailing list sign-up, affiliate link or backlink is required.

Release status
This kit is ready for distribution. No publisher acceptance or public distribution of the kit has been verified.
