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More Dramatic Images? Get Low and Close!
Jul 29, 2011 | by Kevin Loughlin
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Santa Fé Land Iguana, Galápagos Islands. Canon 40D w/Sigma 18-200 @ 18mm |
One of the best ways to add drama to an image is to get low. The “worm’s eye view” offers a very different perspective from the average person’s 5′ 6″ upright view. Sticking with the Galápagos theme where I will be next week, here are a couple images that illustrate different ways of getting low.
The above image of a Santa Fé Land Iguana was taken from the ground, looking up. Yes, even with my bad knees I still crawl around on the ground from time to time to get the shot! Here is the proof below!
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Photo © Hanzel Martinetti (our Galapagos Naturalist/guide) |
Getting low is not always easy, especially on a rocky trail covered with thorny plants! But the result is nearly always worth the effort! Now, admittedly, these Land Iguanas are rather docile. I would certainly not try this with a Komodo Dragon or a rattlesnake unless I was also using a long telephoto lens from a safe distance!
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Sting Rays, Floreana, Galápagos Islands. Canon 50D w/Sigma 18-200 @ 18mm |
Photographing these sting rays offered the challenge of the shifting sand and waves camouflaging the cuddly creatures, allowing them to appear only briefly for my shot. It took more than a few takes to get what I wanted, but I love how it turned out!
I stood, rather than laying down in the water, so I could see the rays swimming and stay dry). However, I held my camera very low to the waves at an angle to get the background in the image, giving the shot depth. A polarizing filter helped remove reflections from the water and intensified the colors a bit.