Worm's eye view photography means getting down as low as possible to achieve a slightly surreal perspective of the world. It’s a quick and easy way liven up your shots of flowers, buildings and even people.
If you don't have a camera with a tilting or articulating screen, you’ll need to lie down for this photography tip. As it’s pretty difficult to frame a shot with the eye-level viewfinder when you’re flat on the ground, switch to live view so that you can use the main LCD to compose the shot accurately.
A telephoto zoom lens will enable you to create an attractive, shallow depth of field. Make life easier by switching to aperture priority mode, so that you can concentrate on getting a wide aperture while your camera adjusts everything else.
01 Aim up from lower ground
Clumps of flowers are perfect for a attempting a worm’s eye effect. Look for lower ground to position yourself on, as lying a little bit below the flowers will make composition easier. Make sure that you get your camera right under your subject and shoot at an upwards angle.
02 Go wide
Once you’ve mastered composing and shooting from a worm’s eye view using a telephoto lens, switch to a wide-angle one (like our Tokina 12-24mm) for a different effect. When it’s used close up, a wide-angle lens will distort the perspective for an even more dramatic look.
03 Aim straight up
Another method for shooting a worm’s eye view photo is by setting the self-timer and placing your camera lens-up on the ground. This technique works really well with canopies of trees. If you’re struggling to get the shot to work, try lying on your back and shooting upwards.
More videos:
Photography tips and techniques videos
Focus stacking: how to get amazing depth of field in macro photography
Landscape photography composition: cheats to create effective frames