Some of the creatures I enjoy photographing are small. Thus any image is taken from above, looking down, especially if it crawls or walks on the ground. But, sometimes you just have to get down into the prone position for a low angle shot. That is, lay down on your belly to get you and your camera at or below eye level with your subject.
Right now here in NE Wisconsin, the baby birds are leaving their nests. One whose nest is a dimple on the ground surrounded by pebbles is the Killdeer. Baby Killdeer are flightless, but can walk and even run soon after they hatch. Today, one of the nearby broods came exploring and it gave me the opportunity to follow along as they foraged, and earn the reluctant trust of them and their parents who were always on guard.
Getting the Low Angle Shot
It didn’t take but about twenty minutes of walking around with them, one chick was particularly disinterested in my presence so I focused my attention on it. A cooperative model is always appreciated and this one made the task easier. I walked and snapped away until I was able to get relatively close and even when crouched down it didn’t seem to be concerned. That’s when I flopped down into a prone position and with my camera literally sitting on the ground I captured many low angle shots, like this one…
Such a rewarding experience, time outdoors with nature and fun watching baby critters learn about their environment.
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