How low can you go?

In his latest column for AP nature photographer Marsel van Oosten explains the importance of shooting wildlife at low angles

- Steve Fairclough

Marsel van Oosten was born in The Netherlands and worked as an art director for 15 years. He switched careers to become a photographer and has since won Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Travel Photographer of the Year. He’s a regular contributor to National Geographic and runs nature photography tours around the world. Visit www.squiver.com

One of the golden rules of wildlife photography is to try to photograph your subjects at eye level or lower. The reason for this rule is simple: when you’re at eye level with your subjects you feel much more of a connection… it’s like you’re one of them. The opposite is also true. When you look down on your subjects, it metaphorically feels like you’re looking down on them. This is often called ‘the zoo perspective’, and it’s not good.