Photographing AT Ground Level

Right Image:
35mm SLR, 24mm f-2.8 lens, Fuji Velvia 50, Bogen tripod with Bogen Super Clamp and ball head attached to tripod leg. Spot metering (leaf), -1/2 stop underexposed, shutter speed not recorded, f-13, on manual exposure mode and manual focus.

Most photographs are taken at eye level, simply because it is much easier to find subjects and photograph them at eye level. Many of our subjects need to be taken at eye level, but if you look a little closer or from a different view, you'll find unlimited photo opportunities closer or at ground level. By lowering your camera, you can add interesting objects to the foreground. Add flowers or rocks to your landscape shots and show a different view from what most people see.

Many smaller animals need to be photographed at ground level. This way you come eye to eye rather than looking down at the animal. Children are mostly photographed at eye level with the camera pointed down. I never liked this approach since the child looking up, makes them look being dominated. By lowering the camera closer to the ground and at the child's eye level, we can show more natural photographs of children and how they see the world rather than how we see them.

Right Image: 35mm SLR, 200mm f-2.8 APO lens, Bogen tripod with Bogen Super Clamp and ball head attached to tripod leg. Fujichrome Provia, 1/60 sec at f-2.8.

Besides smaller animals and children, there are so many other interesting subjects that we can photograph if we could only slow down and look. The best part of it is that you don't even have to go far. Outside your door, so many things can be easily found. Most subjects on the ground need to be photographed as close to the ground as you can get. Believe it or not, finding the subject is much easier than photographing them. Usually you need a small aperture to gain depth-of-field which can result in long shutter speeds. This requires a tripod. You need a tripod with legs that can spread out and almost flat to the ground. Inverting the tripod's center-post is an awkward and difficult way to work. By lowering the tripod and spreading its legs you can work much easier. One tripod accessory I highly recommend is a Bogen Super Clamp. It attaches to the tripod leg and with an addition of a quick release plate and ball head, you can attach your camera and work flat to the ground for some unusual shots. I have a Bogen Clamp and ball head permanently attached to one of my tripod's legs for working at ground level or even for using two cameras at the same time on the same tripod. Don't worry about getting your shirt dirty. You need to be lying on the ground if you want to get those unusual shots.

Left Image
35mm SLR, 100mm macro lens, Bogen tripod with Bogen Super Clamp and ball head attached to tripod leg. Fujichrome Velvia, 1/60 sec at f-5.6.

Many insects can be found and photographed if you look in the right place. Insects are best photographed early in the mornings when the air is still cold which makes them less active. Look between the rocks or plants where many insects hide or feed. You can find leaves, vegetation, rocks with interesting shapes, and every once in a while, a ground squirrel staring you in the eye, and if you are flat on your stomach, looking down at you for a change. Next time you are having one of those 'what should I photograph days', look down, start walking slowly.

Bogen - Manfrotto Quick Action Super Clamp

The Quick Action Super Clamp, one of the most advanced and innovative products on the market today. A rapid action locking jaw has been applied to the most well known clamp in the world, the original Super Clamp. These modifications have allowed us to keep its extreme versatility by adding unrivaled speed in locking and unlocking. The 635 Quick Action Super Clamp is also supplied with a wedge to allow the clamp to fit on a plane surface. Pipe Size: 0.5"-2.16"Manfrotto manufactures one of the widest range of clamps designed to match the industry standards required in the photographic, film, broadcast and entertainment industries.

BOGEN 3021BPRO Professional Tripod

Designed for the professional photographer, this is an extremely versatile tripod, ideal for small, medium format cameras, digital or conventional type. The tripod has an easily removed centre column that just as easily re-fits as a horizontal lateral arm. Not only does this allow the camera to be offset from leg position, it provides the simplest way possible to shoot from directly overhead. Key features include four leg angle settings Centre column with an innovative three faced design Double positioning vertical and horizontal centre column Low-angle adapter built in the centre column for ground level shots Rapid-action lever leg locks with just 45-degree