How to Take a Snail’s Eye View Photograph

If you enjoy nature photography or just experimenting with your digital camera in your spare time, a snail’s eye view might be an exciting new angle for you to try. If your camera has a macro function, that’s all you need to achieve a snail’s eye view of any photograph opportunity, whether you’re out in nature or just hanging out at home.

1. Step 1

   Turn on the macro function on your camera. On many digital cameras, this is a function that’s easy to turn on and off–it’s a button with a picture of a flower or other small object. Read your camera’s instructions if you’re not familiar with the macro function.

2. Step 2

   Position your camera as close as two to three inches away from the subject of your snail’s eye photograph. The macro function on a digital camera is meant to be used at a distance of about three inches from the subject, give or take an inch or two.

3. Step 3

   Position your camera as low to the ground as possible. There should be little to no ground visible beneath your camera’s subject in the viewfinder. It should appear as if you are as low to the ground as you can be.

4. Step 4

   Tilt your camera slightly upward to avoid including any ground below you in the camera’s view, and create the illusion of looking upwards at everything. A snail’s eye view is very low to the ground, and there’s not much that a snail finds itself looking down to see.

5. Step 5

   Take nature shots that a snail might be likely to experience, like shots in the grass of a tiny flower or insect. Position your subjects so that usually tiny objects are as close as possible to the lens and appear huge from the snail’s eye view.

6. Step 6

   Experiment with photographs taken looking up at a sharp angle, at other natural objects or perhaps just the edge of a child’s foot. These photographs may take some patience and experimentation, since you will likely be holding the camera at an angle that prevents you using the viewfinder.

7. Step 7

   Try the snail’s eye view in other settings as well. A snail doesn’t always have to be in the grass. It could also be in other natural settings like a tree branch or man-made settings like the sidewalk or windowsill.

Source: eHow