Shoot from below! Most photographers plonk their tripods down and shoot at eye level. Tripods are one of very few tools that will really help to make you a better photographer. They slow you down which is just what we often need. They give you the chance to go around the edges of the screen to fine tune our compositions. They keep the camera steady to eliminate camera shake. They are so valuable that I almost shoot 100% of my landscape images using my tripod. However, one of their biggest draw backs is that they can make us lazy. They tend to pursuade us to shoot mostly from eye level.

          During our 2018 Namibian workshop we started shooting at the Quiver tree forest. I noticed that one of our clients did not look too happy. Here we are standing in front of an amazing scene and the clouds seem to want to work with us and he looked sad. I asked him what was wrong, "I forgot my tripod on the vehicle which has left to go refuel," he replied. Without much thinking I removed my camera from my tripod and handed it to him to use for the sunset shoot. We had a happy client.

          I however had a problem. We had a wonderful sunset that night. The clouds lit up and it was beautiful. I was experiening this gorgeous sunset in the Quiver tree forest of Namibia without a tripod. The light levels were low when the best color showed up. This required slow shutter speeds which in turn required the use of a tripod which I did not have. How was I going to shoot and get good images?

          I had to shoot from a low angle. I started to look for rocks I can press my camera down on for stabilization. Rocks became my tripod that night. It made me look for and see different kind of images that I probably would not have been looking for had I had my tripod. This was a great learning experience for me. You should try it. Take only one lens or force certain limits on yourself to force yourself to look, see, and operate differently, out of your comfort zone. You might just grow and learn too.

Here is an early example, before the clouds got color. I am very low down shooting looking up. Try shooting from a low angle. Go right down, very low. Look at the world from down there and see what you get. Get into the habit of exploring all angles.