Remember! Your Birds Aren’t Always Right in Front of You
The importance of looking up and down
Bill Harris
May 18, 2024
Note: This tip comes from the photography case study #3 ‘Composition’ inside Photzy’s - 5 Extended Case-Studies on Bird Photography
Photograph by Suraj Arya
Photographers, especially new ones, tend to focus their attention on what’s right in front of them.
A respected professional photographer once said, “Don’t forget to look behind you!”
Photograph by Ignacio Florido
As a bird photographer, I would add, “Don’t forget to look up and down.
Photograph by Pexels
This bird photographer needs to include the best action occurring right above her!
Photograph by Tolga Deniz Aran – Despite the upward angle, this shot lacks strong interest because it tells us nothing about the bird or the situation.
Tip #1 - Using an alternative point of view (POV) isn’t a magic button to acquire great shots. You must still consider what you are trying to show about your bird subjects, and does the over- or under-POV help tell that story?
Photograph by Jacques Le Henaff
Tip #2 - When using the upward angle, anticipate how you will tell the viewers something about the bird. The above shot is a perfectly executed upward-angle photo, beautifully displaying the body, feet, feather structure, color, and a clear view of the subject’s face.
Photograph by Ellen Hakobya – When looking up, it doesn’t necessarily need to be straight up. Any upward angle can be explored
Tip #3 - Looking upward has several other advantages. One is acquiring a clean, unobtrusive background. You can also experiment with shots that border on the semi-abstract, such as the above example.
Photograph by Tolga Deniz Aran
Looking downward can create exciting bird photos by eliminating distracting or story-breaking background details.
Tip #4 - If you're having trouble with busy, ugly backgrounds, Try looking downward with your camera. When looking downward, experiment with getting in tight for dramatic results.
Photograph by Alejandro Contrera – A slight downward POV eliminated distractions from behind the bird.
Tip #5 – Downward and upward camera POV selections don’t always need to be dramatic to be helpful. Remember, it’s about showcasing your bird and keeping distractions out of the frame.
Want more? If you want to learn more about bird photography, and capture beautiful shots of your own, we recommend downloading and printing out Photzy’s 10 Bird Photography Cheat Sheets (Special bonus available now!)