When I photograph wildlife I often try to capture the image from the subjects eye level to even below eye level. This gives you a more dramatic perspective and can help you control the background allowing your subject to stand out from its’ surroundings. When I’m in Yellowstone I often see lines of photographers standing side by side photographing a subject from higher than eye level. If just one of them would just get low they would have a unique view and a much stronger image than the rest.
Not to easy to get eye level with a small bird on the ground but by taking the camera off my tripod and lying right down in the sand on my belly I was able to capture this plover chick with a dreamy foreground and background.
Whitetail deer drinking from pond
To photograph wildlife and birds from a low-level during the 2008 Images for Conservation Pro Tour Contest I dug a pit near this waterhole and built a blind at water level.
To capture this image I crawled through the mud at a local pond to get the desired low angle for my images. Doing this also allows you to approach the birds without alarming them. Water and shorebirds are much more tolerant of a photographer who keeps a low angle. If you stand up the birds spook quickly. Again the low angle allows the subject to nicely stand out from its background.
