A Different Point of View: Get Down and Dirty to Improve Your Photos

I thought I might change things up a bit and talk little about photography and one of the things that separates professionally made images for those shot by camera bugs. Now first let me clarify that I don’t personally think my wildlife photos are “all that.” But I am working to improve that segment of my work. I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a bit of advice from some accomplished wildlife photograpers plus have spent more than a little time reading some wildlife photography forums. I’ve learned a few things through these exposures… such as some of the things that sets professional shots apart from those taken by hobbiests. So, you might be thinking, what is it that seperates the Pros from the Ametuers? Well one asnswer is pretty simple: Point of view or, if you prefer, perspective.

Most shutter bugs snap pictures while standing erect. Now if you think about it, you’re taking a photo of a bird that stands a few inches tall while towering a few feet above. This results in a look that professional nature and wildlife photographer Jared Lloyd refers to as “the duck pond effect.” So for photographing a shore bird, wader or small mammal on the ground, don’t be afraid to lay on your belly to make a photo at… should I say it… birds eye view.

The photo below is of a Sanderling taken on Atlantic Beach in early January. In order to make this image I had my lens and camera mounted on a skimmer ground pod… a low platform used for low point of view images… laying on my belly. Some of the beach walkers looked at me like I was a little silly, but I think the results are worth a little embarassment in front of strangers. If you look through some of my earlier posts you’ll find some additional examples of getting down to the subjects level. So if you want to take your photography to… lame pun warning!… take your photography to another “level” don’t be afraid to get down and dirty.

A Sanderling is a small shore bird found along NC beaches.  Notice the low angle of view used to make this image.

This entry was posted in Photo Tip, Wildlife Photography and tagged , , , , .

One Comment

  1. Kimberli January 22, 2010 at 7:21 pm #

    I think your photos are all that, and this picture is wonderful. Thank you for the advice. I’m one of those guilty of standing while photographing creatures close to the ground.

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