Create calm in your photos with a low viewpoint

Monday 13 February 2023, 15:51 by Nando Harmsen | 5,576 views | 6 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

When the land is flat, you quickly see distracting elements in the background. After all, everything is in the same line of sight. This makes it difficult to isolate elements in your image. Fortunately, there is sometimes a good solution: a low viewpoint.

A large part of the Netherlands and Belgium is flat. There are some hills here and there, but nothing very dramatic. This means that much of our landscape is more or less in the same line of sight.

Because everything is in the same line of sight, it becomes difficult to isolate elements in your photo. There is quickly something behind your subject that can be distracting. A good solution is to find a higher viewpoint. It does not even have to be much higher.

Nando landscape choosing a low viewpoint 2

A slightly higher viewpoint does show the depth, but it becomes rather chaotic this way.
The result is a separation between the foreground (low in the frame) and the background (high in the frame). Even so, this does not always work. In that case, it may pay to go really low.

Call it a frog perspective, or perhaps an ant's perspective. Put your camera on the ground, as low as possible. In that case, even the smallest mound of sand or tuft of grass will stick up high above you.

Nando landscape choosing a low viewpoint 3

With the camera on the ground (snow), I completely isolate the tree from its surroundings. There is no longer a distracting background.
This makes it possible to completely separate your subject from the background. That is, provided there is enough space between the foreground and background. It naturally works less well when everything is packed closely together.

Nando landscape choosing a low viewpoint 4

You can see some distracting elements in the frame, but because there is some undulation, some things are already hidden. So, the photobomber has to go, and we hide the rest with a low viewpoint.
This technique only works when the land is reasonably flat or gently rolling. The greater the difference in height, the less well this way of separating the subject from the background works. In that case, other techniques have to be used.

Nando landscape choosing a low viewpoint

The result of the low viewpoint, with the camera on the snow, combined with a slightly different viewpoint. There is no need for Photoshop to show the tree alone in the frame.
Although a low viewpoint is certainly not always the right choice, in the right situation it can be a beautiful way to completely separate your subject from the background.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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6 comments

Tineke wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 10:52 | reply
In the second example it’s not the same tree unless the tree has been heavily edited or was photographed from a very different viewpoint. So this example is a bit strange.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 10:58 | reply
It's exactly the same tree, Tineke. But as you already suggest, from a slightly different viewpoint. The photo from the same viewpoint was a photo using Pep Ventosa techniques, so I chose this one, which is simply a single exposure.
For clarity, it now says that it is also from a different viewpoint.
Thank you for your critical note. It keeps me on my toes
Translated from Dutch.

Peter van Dinther wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 11:37 | reply
Interesting Pep Ventosa, but then you do need to have a camera that can do that. I haven't discovered that with my Sony a7r5 yet.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 12:16 | reply
That's right, Sony still lacks these kinds of fun possibilities. But you can also do it in Photoshop. However, it's less fun to do it that way afterwards.
Translated from Dutch.

Anton den Dunnen wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 12:34 | reply
just google Pep Ventosa
Translated from Dutch.

Stefanie wrote on Tuesday 14 February 2023 at 13:16 | reply
Clearly is about the same tree, just from a low angle and a bit more centered, so I actually find your response a little strange
Translated from Dutch.

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