Photography Quick Tip: Get down low…
Try photographing at your subject's eye level for better pictures.

If you want to improve your photography the get-down-low-tip is probably the most important tip you could ever get. I have seen almost every single photographer dole out this one piece of advice.
So why I am repeating it here? Well, maybe because sometimes you just need to hear something from a different person or at a different time. So who knows, for you, reading this, this could be that time?

Or maybe, it can simply serve as a good reminder. Possibly though I am writing simply to remind myself not to be lazy…

Because I mean, I get it. You see something fun to photograph. Let’s make that something your pet, or let’s make it a someone, your kid maybe, doing something worthy of an “Awwwww!!!!” and you snap a pic.

So what did you do? Well, you documented the action, the thing, the person. It’s caught on sensor. So there’s that. But it’s not wowww, it’s not great, and it’s lacking a bit of connection possibly.

Please note that I am using “you” but consider that I am equally addressing me. My address to me would run along the lines of:
“Great, Kajs, so what are you going to do with that shot? Let it live on your phone forever and ever, or till it runs out of storage, whichever comes first? (Hint: the latter will definitely come first). Cause you and I both know, that shot is not making it into the family album, because it’s not up to standards girl.”

The Solution

So what would the solution have been?

To get down low! At least eyelevel or lower when we are talking living subjects.

It’s awful. It’s going to make you aware of those muscles in your rear end and upper legs. It will remind you that you hate doing squats. But these are the situations for which you practice them (or not). Truthfully though, you should probably kneel, as a squatting position isn’t the greatest for photography. Because:

a) One tends to be somewhat unstable in the position which is not ideal for keeping your camera balanced and still. Yes, there’s image stabilization and no image stabilization is not the be all, end all. Keeping your camera steady matters.

and

b) (do not ask me how I know this) the instability involved can lead to mishaps when the object of your photograph is, say, your 50lbs dog, who considers your squatting to be an invite for a hug. Imagine said dog inbound in a straight line to join the hug-fest that he is certain will ensue, as you quickly press the shutter in hopes of getting maybe at least a running shot of said dog, whilst mentally preparing yourself for the backward roll that you will inevitably be performing soon.

Don’t want to work those glutes?

So.

Alternatives.

The flat-on-your-belly-propped-up-on-your-elbows-position is always a good one. The value of clean clothes is overrated anyway. If you’re a parent or a dog parent, then your washing machine is doing overtime anyway.

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Everything’s relative… put your subject up higher than you are

Or cheat:

If you’re not going documentary style, there is no need to practice your downward dog. Just put your subject up on something higher than you. Saves you time, energy and a herniated disc… the effect is the same. A hopefully striking shot.

Use the flipscreen

If you have camera with a flip-screen, then I am not even talking to you.
Use the screen, Luke! May the screen be with you! (Cue the cringes from the teenage sons: “So not even half funny mom… Star Wars desecration! Not something to be toyed with…”)

Seriously though, you could put your camera all the way on the floor, tilt the screen up et voilà! It makes photographing from that low vantage point child’s play.
My SLR only has an optical view finder, so I usually end up lying flat on the ground, with my eye pressed to the eye cup, to get an idea of what kind of image I am going to get, see above.

If you’ve made it till here, thanks for reading this far, but you know you could have stopped at the title, right?

GET LOW! Just remember that…