Tip: try photographing from a step ladder!

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

I've wanted a step ladder for years. Not for the house, but to photograph from. But it remained a vague wish. Until I shared my step ladder idea in a course I was taking a few weeks ago.

The following week, another student showed his new photos, taken from a step ladder. That was the final push. The next day, I ordered one. Here's why.

Four years ago, I bought the book Uit Voorraad Leverbaar by photographer Hans van der Meer. It features typically Dutch shopping centres found in a VINEX neighbourhood. They are photos that unmistakably expose the character of our Dutch street layout.

Thanks to that book, I now look at those shopping centres differently, especially the street furniture that seems to be the same in every municipality. But I also learned something about his way of working. He takes his images from a step ladder.

That ladder gives Van der Meer a slightly elevated viewpoint. This provides an overview and feels more contemplative rather than documentary. I decided to try that too.

But I didn't. I never use a tripod either, because I want the freedom to move when I take photos. I thought that little ladder would feel even more restrictive than a tripod.

And yet... that step ladder kept simmering away in my mind. I knew that one day I would also end up looking that ridiculous. And so it came to pass, four years later, prompted by someone else who did follow my advice.

Anyway, people are complicated. Or rather, I am, at least...

The difference my step ladder makes

And then a photo without the ladder, simply taken from the pavement:

You can immediately see that the street furniture is much more prominent: the bin on the right is fully in shot, whereas from the ladder I photograph right over it.

The parked cars on the left block the view when I am standing on the pavement, but do so much less when I am on the ladder. These are subtle differences, but they can sometimes make just the difference you are looking for.

In short, I think it was a good purchase. And it is not one you really feel in your wallet either, which is nice.

Finally, the funny thing is that the ladder does not seem to trigger the same aversion in me as a tripod. Once on the ladder, I can still move my camera around perfectly well.

A few centimetres to the left if that works better for the composition takes no time at all. It is good to test your own assumptions against reality from time to time.

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