I use my view (6cm X 7cm) camera because it allows me the freedom that lets me capture my visions and imaginations on film. There is no limit on what the view camera can accomplish. The user can manipulate the movements the same way a conductor dictates to his orchestra how to play a passage of music. It is my best asset and I find new ways to invent my Photos.
Unlike most cameras, which are permanently aligned so that the lens and film are exactly parallel, a view camera can be deliberately unaligned. The view camera can change and control an image due to its movements. Two basic movements are swings and tilts. Swings are movements around the vertical axis of either lens or film, that is, either twisted to the left or right. Tilts are movements around the horizontal axis of the lens or film, that is it is tipped forward or backward.
The first movements, rise and fall, change the placement of the image on the film by changing the position of the film by changing the position of the film or lens relative to one another. Rise and fall of the back changes the location of the image but does not effect its shape
Shift is a sideways movements of either the front or the back of the camera. It is exactly the same as rise and fall except the movements takes place from side to side. Image shape does not change with back-shift, but does change slightly with front shift. Shift of the lens affects the spatial relationship of objects because the lens is now viewing them from a different point.
A front-tilt, does not change distances inside the camera and thus does not affect image size or shape. But it does affect focus by altering the len's focal plane. When the angle between film and lens is changed by tilting the back of the camera, the shape of the object changes considerably and the focus changes some what.
Swing is a sideways twisting of either the front or the back of the camera around the vertical axis. A back-swing just like a back-tilt moves one part of the film closer to the lens while moving another part farther away. Front-swing, since it involves swiveling the lens to the left or right, skews the focal plane of the lens to one side or another. The general effect of this is to this is to create a sharply defined zone of focus that travels at angle across an object.
The practical application of the four movements are virtually endless. Some are subtle and complex, particularly when used in combination.