Getting Low Without Getting Down: Safer Ways to Capture Low-Angle Perspectives
This month’s WGPC challenge is perspective, and I’ve been encouraging you to explore both high and low vantage points. Changing your viewpoint—sometimes by only a few inches—can completely transform a photograph. It alters the relationship between foreground and background, strengthens leading lines, and often turns an everyday scene into something much more dramatic.
Get “down and dirty”.
However… most of us at Wadswick Green are unlikely to lie flat on the ground to get that perfect low-angle shot. Knees, backs, clothes, and dignity all argue against it! The good news is that modern cameras and phones give us several ways to achieve a low viewpoint without having to actually get low ourselves.
1. Using a Tripod + Remote Viewfinder (for Dedicated Cameras)
With a conventional camera, the simplest method is to set the tripod low, connect the camera to a phone or tablet, then compose and trigger the shutter remotely. This avoids crouching and allows very precise framing. But what if someone only uses a mobile phone?
Low-Angle Options for Mobile Phone Users
Here are simple, safe, practical methods everyone in the club can use—no kneeling, no bending, and no lying in the mud required.
2. Use the Phone’s Wide-Angle Screen Viewing Angle
Phone screens remain visible even when viewed from above at a steep angle. Hold the phone close to the ground, tilt it upward slightly, and view the composition from above. For many scenes, this is enough to get a dramatically lower viewpoint. Pressing the volume button to take the photo helps keep the phone steady.
3. Use the Built-In Timer (Best No-Equipment Option)
Place the phone on the ground or on a small support such as a glove, bag, or stone. Set a 3s or 10s timer, tap the shutter, and step back. This avoids camera shake and makes low-angle photography extremely easy.
4. Use a Mini Tripod or Clamp
Compact phone tripods are inexpensive and very effective. They let you position the phone just above ground level, adjust the angle precisely, and trigger the shot with a timer, headphone button, or Bluetooth remote. Ideal for reflections, flowers, frost, and other close-to-ground subjects.
5. Use Headphones as a Remote Shutter
Any headphones with volume buttons work as a remote trigger. Plug in wired EarPods or use Bluetooth headphones, press the volume up button, and the phone takes a photo. This avoids touching the phone and disturbing the composition.
6. Use a Bluetooth Shutter Remote (£5–£10)
Tiny Bluetooth shutter remotes pair with the phone and allow you to take photos while standing comfortably. They avoid all movement of the phone and work from several metres away. Perfect for steady low-angle shots.
7. Use Voice Control (Not Siri!)
Siri cannot take a photo—it only opens the Camera app. However, Voice Control, found in Accessibility settings, can activate the shutter because it simulates a physical button press. Turn on Settings → Accessibility → Voice Control, open the Camera app, and say “Turn up volume.” The iPhone fires the shutter. This is the closest thing to true voice-activated photography on iPhone.
8. Flip the Phone Upside Down
Holding the phone upside down places the lens just millimetres from the ground. This enhances reflections, perspective lines, and foreground textures. Timer, headphones, or a Bluetooth remote can be used to trigger the shot without disturbing the phone.
9. Use Everyday Objects as Supports
You can stabilise a phone using everyday items such as a glasses case, purse, glove, or even the handle of a walking stick. These provide enough angle control to create deliberate and well-composed low-angle images.
Final Thoughts
Low-angle viewpoints can transform familiar scenes at Wadswick Green. They exaggerate perspective, add depth, and often produce more dynamic photographs than those taken at normal eye height. And as you can see, there are plenty of ways to “get low without getting down.”