Wildlife Photography Tips – The importance of Shooting from Eye Level

Article by: Sudhir Shivaram

Here are comparative images to help you understand the difference of standing and shooting v/s getting low and shooting as requested by many of you.


wildlife photography tips
wildlife photography tips


As you can see in the top image, when you stand and shoot, the ground is the background and the image looses the impact as the viewer of the image feels like looking down on the subject and the subject looks minuscule. In the image given at the bottom you can see the result when you get low and shoot as shown in the inset images of getting the camera very low by flattening the tripod legs. You can see the photographers practice that in the other inset image.

Of course, it's an individual choice on what they like. But for me personally, the eye level image has far more impact and quality compared to the top image.

This is the output of that work. When you are photographing a ground subject, always shoot from the eye level of the subject for better impact.


The importance of Shooting from Eye Level
The importance of Shooting from Eye Level


Exif for the Shot:

Canon 1DX + Canon EF 800mm f5.6 L IS + 1.4xIII Converter, Gitzo 3530LS Tripod + Wimberly Head, ISO 250, f8 @ 1/640, Evaluative Metering -2/3 Stop, Aperture priority, WB at 5580K.

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