ADVENTURE PHOTOGRAPHY

with Cathy & Gordon ILLG

PHOTO TIPS

 

PUT YOUR SUBJECT ON A PEDESTAL

Ninety-nine percent of all photos are taken from about the height of person standing up. Taking your shots from either higher or lower than this position automatically makes them more interesting, if only because the perspective is different from what we are used to. And for strong wildlife images this usually means getting low.

Our perspective is very important in how we view the world. We just returned from photographing elephant seals, and it was interesting to watch the male seals try to lift themselves up a high as possible to threaten rivals. The tallest seal was definitely the dominant seal. And the same thing can be seen through the view finder of a camera. Looking down on your subject puts that subject in a position of less importance, a position of subservience. Taking photos while looking down on a wild animal can result in images that almost look like we photographed a pet, rather than something wild.

We don’t want our wildlife subjects to be made less important because we happen to be taller than they are. Wildlife photographers go to great lengths to capture images of animals because they love them. Consequently, we should do everything we can to make the subjects we love look important in the photos we take. And taking photos from the subject’s point of view rather than our own is a big step in that direction. Go back and check out some of your favorite wildlife photos, and I think you’ll find that most if not all of them we’re taken from the subject’s point of view.

These fox pups were at a den on the other side of an 8-foot high chain link fence.

The photo on the left was taken by shooting OVER the fence.  The photo on the right was taken by shooting THROUGH the fence.

There is only one reason to get down low when you’re taking photos, and that’s to create stronger images. There are lots of reasons not to get low when you’re taking photos--it’s dirty, it’s cold, it’s muddy, it’s wet, it’s icy, it’s hard, and for those of us with old knees, it’s a long ways down and an even longer way back up. However, there are ways around some of these problems, including knee pads and short chairs. If you’re lucky, you can find suitable subjects on uneven terrain that allows you to photograph at their level while you’re standing up. Whatever you have to do though, the results are worth going to the trouble of photographing animals at their level.