Worms Eye View Photography – How, What & Tips

Are you looking to find what worms eye view photography is all about? If yes, this guide is for you. I will explain everything about this photography perspective in detail in this article.

Worms Eye View Photography Definition

Worms eye view photography is a point of view in photography where the image is captured from a very low angle with the camera pointing toward the top.

It is like the view from a worm’s eye in the ground, hence the name.

This style of photography unlocks a completely new perspective to the image. This photography perspective is also known by other names like worm view photography, ant view photography, etc.

The point of view which is exactly opposite to this style is the birds eye view photography.

Worms Eye View Photography Explained with an Example

Are you still confused? Don’t worry, I will explain it with the help of an example.

In the above image, you can see that the trees are pointing toward the center of the frame.

Here the photograph is taken from the ground, with the camera pointing toward the sky.

This angle of view is referred to as the worm’s eye viewpoint in photography.

How to Capture Images in Worms Eye Viewpoint?

Now, let us see, how to set up the camera in worms eye view position to take such breathtaking shots.

There are two ways to do it.

Direct Capture

In the direct capture technique, you can stand or sit and point the camera up and take the capture to get this viewpoint.

In some situations, you will have to lie down with your camera pointing up for shooting.

You may find it difficult to look into the camera viewfinder for framing such clicks from ground level.

So, make use of the live view shooting mode in your camera.

Remote Capture

Nowadays, most digital cameras come with the option of a remote trigger.

There are two kinds of remote triggering setups.

In the first setup, you need to position your camera with the necessary settings and desired frame. The camera can be triggered remotely without seeing the frame directly.

In the second type of triggering, the camera will be remotely connected to your computer or smartphone via cable or wireless means. Here you can control the different camera settings through the computer/smartphone and see the frame in the computer/smartphone while capturing. The second method will be more useful for the worms eye view photography.

5 Tips to Improve Worms Eye View Photography

I will share some useful tips to improve your images when you choose this photography style.

1. Try to Use a Camera with Swivel Display

It will be tough to shoot pictures from the ground toward the top if the LCD display on your camera is a fixed one. It is also difficult using the camera viewfinder.

You can make the shooting more comfortable if you use a camera with a swivel LCD screen.

2. Try Different Image Composition Techniques

When you capture images from a worms eye viewpoint, try to see what all elements you can see through your camera.

Learn to use any of the photo composition techniques to frame the scene and capture the picture. It will really help you to capture beautiful images.

Some of the popular image compositions which you can use include the rule of thirds, the golden ratio rule, leading lines photography, etc.

3. Capture Shapes & Patterns

You can capture interesting shapes and patterns using this technique.

If you are capturing cityscapes with tall skyscrapers and structures, then you can give it a try.

In the case of cityscapes, you don’t have to lie down and capture the image. You can simply point your camera up and get the desired capture.

You can also make use of the trees in the forest to capture beautiful patterns.

4. Shoot at Higher f-numbers

Here, you want all the objects in the scene to be in focus. So, try shooting with large f-numbers that correspond to small aperture openings.

You can go for f-numbers of f8.0 and beyond. Don’t go for the extreme f-numbers. The image tends to get soft at very high f-numbers due to the diffraction phenomenon.

5. Shoot at Low ISO

In this photography style, you will be capturing wide-angle images. So, it is good to use low ISO values. It will help to capture the details of the small elements in the scene.

Otherwise, you will have more grains in the scene. Denoising the picture using photo editing tools will result in losing some details. You can go for ISO values in the range of 100-400.

6. Use Gorillapod

Sometimes it is difficult to shoot images from the ground at some positions. You can use a Gorillapod in such situations.

It will help you to shoot at awkward angles. You can also clamp it to a tree or any building structure.

7. Wide Angle Frames Work the Best

Pictures captured from this viewpoint will look more beautiful in wide-angle frames. So, try to shoot wide.

If you use an 18-55 kit lens, try capturing pictures in the 18mm to 25mm range.

Once you are really interested in capturing photos in this style, I recommend investing in a good wide-angle lens like the 10-20mm.

Such lenses will have better optics than the cheap kit lens. Thus, your picture quality will also improve.

8. Try Worms Eye View for Wildlife Images

You may not be able to get this perspective for all wildlife images.

You need to use the remote trigger technique here. Don’t attempt to take images of wild animals directly to get this perspective. You are risking your safety by doing so.

You can position your camera with a wide-angle lens in a place where the wild animals are supposed to cross. Make sure that the animal does not stamp on your camera.

Otherwise, you will end up with a damaged camera. You can make use of rugged housing and place it outside the walking path of the animal.

You can also use the auto-trigger setup that is commonly used in the camera trap mechanisms.

This viewpoint will unlock a completely new perspective of wildlife photography. You can also try it for birds and other fauna.

9. Try with Astrophotography

If you are into astrophotography, you can shoot some unique images with this technique.

Try to include subjects like buildings, trees, along with stars in the sky while composing your scenes.

You will have to do long exposure photography or light painting photography to get good exposure on the subjects.

10. Works Well with Cityscapes

If you are in a city with tall buildings, this ant’s view perspective is a good one to try.

You can shoot the buildings standing in the road, pointing your camera towards the sky.

11. Forestscapes

When you do forest photography, this point of view will help you to capture some unique images, if composed in the right manner.

You can make use of the trees in the forest to create good compositions.

Stunning Worms Eye View Pictures

I will share some beautiful worms eye view pictures. It will be a great source of inspiration for you to capture some mind-blowing images.

Conclusion

Now, you know how to bring this perspective to your images. So, next time when you are out in the field for photography, give it a try.

You may not be able to get the perfect image on the first try. Like any style of photography, this one also needs a good amount of practice to get that perfect shot.