At first glance, photography may seem like a reflection of reality. Yes, the camera sensor faithfully captures photons from the scene that pass through your lens. But which scene should you point at? It’s all up to your interpretation. Or, to match the theme of this article, down to your interpretation.
When photographing wildlife, you often have limited control over whether the subject is above you, below you, to your left, or to your right. Somewhat fatalistically, you have to take the situation as it comes.
But you do have some leeway. We all know how dramatically you can affect a scene by taking a few steps to the side. That can be enough to make distracting elements disappear and frame your subject beautifully.
While moving the camera left and right primarily changes the character of the background, changing the camera’s height has an even more dramatic effect. It completely changes the character of the subject, and of the story you’re telling.
What is my default camera height? It’s eye level – not my eyes, but the eyes of the animal (or even the person) that I’m photographing.
The relative height from which you shoot has a big impact on a number of things. First and foremost, it affects how large we perceive the animal to be in the photo. By shooting from underneath the subject, we make it look bigger. By shooting from above, it looks smaller. This is especially apparent with wide-angle lenses.
But more than that, an eye-level view lets your viewer look into the subject’s eyes from their perspective. It’s a way to connect with your subject that can be difficult to achieve otherwise.
Then there’s the question of the background. If a small animal is walking along the ground, try to imagine how the photo would look if you stood up straight and photographed it from your height.
Most often, the result would not be as pleasing. The background of your photo would be so close to your subject that it will remain essentially in focus. The photo will likely have more distractions and lack some compositional breathing space. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule – but it’s not a typical recipe for success.
You’d be amazed at how many times I’ve seen owners of super expensive cameras thwart the potential of their equipment by composing thoughtlessly. Often, it takes so little – just meeting your subject at its level.
I always bring a mat with me for this reason. I sit down, slide in the tripod legs, spread them out, and wait. If that’s not enough, take the camera off the tripod and place it directly on the ground.
This is an activity where it’s handy to have a camera whose screen can flip up, whether one of the newer DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. However, for the full experience, I tend to lie down and look through the viewfinder anyway… even in the mud or in a puddle.
That doesn’t sound appealing? Well, look on the bright side. What other creative activity lets you you lie down all day long? And think of the rewards! The compositions from your subject’s eye level will be worth the discomfort.
When photographing animals on water, the same is true, but there is an added benefit. If your lens is almost touching the water and the surface is calm, you can double the number of animals in the photo by including their reflections. Alternatively, if the wind is blowing and there are ripples on the surface, you can get beautiful backgrounds and foregrounds with picturesque bokeh.
I hope I’ve convinced you that sometimes it’s better to bend, sit, or even lie down when taking a photo. Even a small change in your camera’s height can make a dramatic difference in the quality of your photos. And when you’re at ground level and you take a moment to look away from your camera, it’s sometimes refreshing to see the world from a different perspective.
Well presented and documented approach to improving our wildlife shots. I will agree with Elaine that some of us due to age and/or other real physical limitations will find it harder to implement. I do look for places I can sit to shoot, or hold the camera lower using the back LCD display. These are both helpful in allowing me to capture some shots. However, laying down, or even kneeling sometimes, may not be an option.
What is important is that one consider the angle above ground level when shooting and work within one’s abilities to take those different shots!
I completely understand that some positions are really very uncomfortable. Even for young knees. Especially kneeling. However, it also has a solution. When it’s difficult to get our eyes to the level of the animal, there are still ways to get the animal’s eyes to the level of our eyes. I will address this topic in a future article soon.
Ah Libor, if only…. Except for the bottom of my feet, the ground and I parted company a long time ago. How I wish for that kind of agility back! Sometimes it is not so much about getting down there, as getting back up again. I envy your ability to lie in the mud and get your eye level photos. If only I could bring the ground up to my eye level! :)
Your photos are outstanding. Please keep up the high quality work and great articles. Well done!
Elaine, we have a saying in our country, “Don’t throw the gun in the rye.” It could be loosely translated as “don’t give up.” You don’t always have to lie down to get the right angle. Just keep the camera low. A tilt screen, tripod, and stool will then make shooting easier and doable regardless of the condition of the photographer’s knees, hips, and back. I wish you many great moments in the wild, Elaine.
Wonderful written article convincingly demonstrated. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Larry.
Larry
Sorry for this post made in error.
it’s okay!
Excellent advice, Libor! I learned early on that eye-level shots make a HUGE difference. And while it’s not a universal rule, it works 99% of the time. It’s also one of the reasons I like Nikon mirrorless cameras over the older DSLRs that had a hard time with focusing with the rear-view screen. (But it’s still not too hard with a DSLR. I just lie on the ground, which works as long as it isn’t wet or cold…)
Eye level + golden light + nice background is a winning combination! That, and patience of course.
Your last sentence, Jason, pretty much sums up my entire article beautifully. That’s exactly right. Although, as you write, it’s not a universal rule. Sometimes it’s good to deliberately break that rule to make another interesting point stand out. For example, the cryptic coloration of a number of birds only becomes perfectly apparent (or rather, invisible) when viewed from above. It depends on what story one wants to tell.
Excellent article and great shots that beautifully illustrate your advice
Thank you very much for your kind comment, Mark. I wish you a nice lie-in when shooting wildlife while the ground is still comfortably warm.
Great advice. The best advice I ever took for wildlife was to get to eye level with my subject. It makes the photos so much better most of the time. Especially when shooting telephoto.
Those wide angle shots are great Libor, I’m jealous!
Thank you, Ircut. You’re right, this is probably the easiest way to dramatically improve the quality of your photos. Getting closer and lower is all the magic…well, almost.