Low level photography – Nature Photography

Low level photography is a perfect way to photograph many wildlife photography subjects. Selecting a low viewpoint enables you to photographing the subject from their eye level, this can bring a huge benefit to the image. It is so important to me to try and achieve a low level photography viewpoint in my nature photography, making eye to eye contact; yes it can be physically uncomfortable, often wet and tiring but certainly well worth the effort in the long run.

Some of the major benefits include -

1. A more pleasing viewpoint with less subject distortion.

2. The lower viewpoint increases the subject to background distance and therefore makes the background diffused, less cluttered and unobtrusive even when using fairly small apertures.

3. Enables the camera / lens combination to be readily supported on the ground to increase its stability, using this technique with relatively static subjects it is possible to shoot as low as 1/30th second even with long telephoto lenses.

4. It is easier to remain concealed and blend in with the immediate habitat by keeping low, this gives less risk of disturbing or causing distress to your subject.

5. If there is water in the foreground (as in image 9) then the lower viewpoint will increase the length of the refection and therefore add greater impact and interest to the composition.

“With an eye made quiet by power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things” ~ William Wordsworth.

This selection of bird images below were all taken on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland and hopefully illustrate the benefits of the eye to eye approach to photographing nature subjects. Whilst I have selected birds as the subject the technique works equally well with mammals, amphibians, flowers and fungi.

I would love to hear your thoughts and comments and would appreciate a retweet if you have enjoyed this selection.

Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis)

Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)

Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Short eared owl (Asio flammeus)