A great way to change your perspective is to do the opposite of a bird’s eye view and capture images from a worm’s eye view.
You can crouch down or even lie down on the ground to get a much different perspective. Be careful where you lie down as to not get in the way or get trampled or run over! Worm’s eye view is much easier than bird’s eye view because it can be done anywhere and you don’t need anything to climb up on to get you to that perspective.
I will often use this technique when there is a subject that I want to photograph but there are a lot of distracting elements in the foreground. I will find an object that I want to use as foreground interest and lie on the ground in front of it so that it blocks out the clutter and provides me with a good uncluttered image.
You might get some people staring at you lying on the ground, but the images from this perspective are worth it.
Workshop: Worm’s Eye View
Look to adopt a worm’s eye view perspective by getting close to the ground. Usually with a worm’s eye view I choose my subject first and then adopt a lower perspective. Don’t be afraid to lie down on the ground but be careful where you lie down!
When capturing worm’s eye view images, cameras with variable adjustable screens on the back that can angle away from the back of the camera can be extremely useful so you can compose the image at ground level without having to actually lie down on the ground.
What you need:
A mobile device like your phone or an iPad works really well.
If you have a camera with interchangeable lenses, try using a wide angle lens.
Remember:
You can always adopt a lower perspective – but be careful where you lie down!
Cameras with variable angle adjustable screens can be useful to help you compose and capture images from different perspectives.
