Low angle photographs break away from traditional eye angle shots and offer more room for creativity. These include photos taken at very low angles or with the camera placed at the base of the objects being photographed. So here are some tips and tricks on using this technique to achieve stunning results.
Going low with a purpose
Taking low angle photos takes patience as you will need to spend some time to get the composition right and walk away with the results you want. In other words, don’t set out to take photos without proper planning and purpose in mind.
Blind shooting
One of the greatest challenges of low angle photography is not being able to use the viewfinder as the camera is at such a low angle. So the trial and error method is your best bet to get what you are looking for. This would involve multiple tries to compose your shot well and get your camera settings right. A simpler option is getting a camera with a flip-out view screen or once which have a frontal LCD screen.
Low angle, not the only angle
Low angle photographs offer a fascinating perspective and you can make them even more interesting by using different lenses for your shoots. Using a wide angle lens has a lot of benefits because you get more room to focus and crop in post processing if you must. Fish eye lenses can also produce interesting images especially when photographing tall objects. Zoom lenses too are great for experimenting but can prove a little difficult to operate with the space restrictions.
The depth of field
The foreground objects in low angle photographs appear very large, most often exaggerated while the ones in the background seem a lot smaller. This poses a challenge to get the right depth of field in the images. To work around this problem, you will need to play around with your lens to find the best combination for a perfect focal point. The choice of lens will matter here because some lenses may blur the objects in the background; not something you might always want.
Lighting
Lighting is another important aspect of low angle photography. By focusing the lens at a bright sky, the foreground objects will appear dark or your images may look ‘burnt’. To avoid such results, you will need to find a time of the day when the light is ideal for shooting and gives you the option to underexpose or overexpose the shot. If your main interest is the sky, then you will need to underexpose since there will be a lot of light hitting the lens. But if your main focus is the foreground, then you need to overexpose. But remember the sky in the background will appear blown out.
Photos by Sagar Sheldekar
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