What Is Low Angle Shooting? How To Use Low Angle Shooting For Photos?

When you visit a professional photographer’s studio or on location, you’ll notice that they rarely hold their camera up to eye level. Sometimes they may be standing on the box, kneeling, or even lying on the ground. They all understand that the angle of the camera relative to the subject is a crucial factor in telling the story.

In this article, we'll explore the value of low-angle shooting, how to use it effectively, and how to avoid some common mistakes when shooting from low angles.

1.What is low angle shooting?

Any time you need to tilt your camera to get the composition you want, it's a low-angle shot. Low-angle photography is a unique photography technique that creates a striking visual effect by shooting from below or close to the ground.

Often, we want to shoot from a low angle to convey grandeur and power, or to create a feeling of awe or submission in the viewer towards our subject: for example, photographing a mountain or skyscraper from below, or Superman standing with his hands on his hips. This technique is often used to photograph powerful executives, sports stars, or royalty. Use it when you want the viewer to literally (or figuratively) look up at your subject.

Shooting from a low angle can make your subject appear taller or tower over the viewer. Depending on your distance from the subject and the tilt of the lens, it can elongate or exaggerate body parts (such as legs). Being below your subject also makes it difficult to see their eyes, adding to the sense of mystery. Furthermore, if your subject is literally looking down at you, this often evokes a sense of dominance.

Low angle shooting

2.The best lenses for low-angle photography

When shooting low-angle photos, it's important to remember how your choice of lens will affect the final image. For example, if a photographer wants to create an "exaggerated long legs" effect and uses a 35mm lens, even if they're lying on the ground and capturing the entire body, they won't be able to achieve the full effect because the distance from the subject changes the perspective and perceived compression. To create a "very stretched" effect by stretching the legs, you need to get closer to the subject.

Note: Avoid distortion

Since you'll be tilting the lens and often using wide angles, it's best to find a lens with minimal edge distortion and crisp edges for the best results. We want controlled perspective distortion, not lens distortion.

A final note on lens choice: since you’ll be tilting your lens upwards, and most likely the light source will also be coming from above, it’s best to use a lens hood when shooting at low angles to reduce glare and increase micro-contrast.

Lens options for low-angle shots

3.How to take low-angle photos

How we shoot low-angle portraits depends largely on how much of the aforementioned “stretch” we want to achieve. Let’s talk about two possible approaches we could take:

①High fashion shoot

If we are photographing a fashion model wearing a fashionable designer dress, we want it to hug the curves of her body and we want her to look taller and more powerful. We might put her on a high platform and use a lens with a wider field of view - like a 24mm.

We would position the camera with the lens tilted upward, about 45 degrees, and position the model so that we could capture her entire body. Because we were in such a low position, we would instruct her to keep her chin on the ground and not look at the camera.

②Commercial photography

Let's say we're photographing a businesswoman for the cover of her book. We might have her standing, with the camera at waist height, using a 50mm lens with the lens tilted upward just enough to capture the composition. She'll be asked to look into the camera with a friendly yet commanding expression, projecting power and status while still maintaining a sense of humanity. The goal of shooting this way is to make the reader aspire to reach that level.

How to take low-angle photos

4.What to avoid when taking low-angle photos

When you start experimenting with low-angle shots, here are a few things to avoid:

①Double chin

No matter the shape of your subject's face, if they look down far enough, the camera will capture an unflattering double chin. There are two simple ways to avoid this.

First, if you want a super stretched distortion, don't have your subject look down. However, if you do want them to be looking at the camera, the further away the subject is from the camera, the less noticeable this double chin effect will be. This can be almost overcome by having the subject's chin jut forward and downward.

②The nose rises

Asking your subject to look up might make their neck look better, but you might end up looking up at their nose. While we do sometimes see this used successfully in beauty photos, we generally don't use low angles for these types of photos. For typical portraits, it's best to avoid this issue altogether.

③No supplementary lighting

If you stand slightly further away and have your subject stick out their chin, you might notice another problem when they look down: there's no light in their eyes. This can certainly be used for dramatic effect in certain shots, but generally speaking, eyes lost in shadow aren't what we want in classic portraits.

One way to fix this is to use a larger light source and position it slightly further away from your subject. You'll also want to keep the light source lower than normal (not too low, or you'll end up with horror movie lighting).

Problems to overcome when shooting at low angles

5.Things to note when shooting with low angles

①Keep the background simple. When shooting, pay attention to the simplicity of the background and avoid complex backgrounds that distract the audience.

②Keep the camera steady. Be careful to keep the camera steady to avoid shaking. If necessary, use an anti-shake function or a tripod or other auxiliary tools.

③Experiment with different angles. Low-angle shooting requires repeated practice. Try different shooting angles and composition methods. Adjust the composition and exposure through repeated shooting and playback to find the best perspective and achieve the best results.

④Avoid excessive abuse. Frequent use of low angles can cause visual fatigue, so you need to combine other angles (such as high angles) to balance the picture.

In short, low-angle shooting is an important means to convey emotions and enhance visual impact by adjusting perspective and composition. It is a creative photography technique that can break the conventional perspective and inject new vitality into the work. By flexibly applying these techniques to the needs of the scene and integrating them with your own style through continuous practice, photographers can create works with greater visual impact and artistic appeal.