Bird’s eye view photography is a unique way to capture the perspective of your surroundings. It is becoming increasingly popular these days. Professionals love to capture a bird’s eye view of their surroundings to add details to their images and make them more interesting. It’s like capturing the world into a single frame. If you also want to know how to do it, then this Bird’s Eye View Photography Guide will help you with everything.
Bird’s eye view photography is a perspective shot from above or from a bird’s eye view. It’s frequently utilized to capture landscapes and cityscapes. It only requires you to be on the top of something or at a certain height from where you can have some coverage. Using this guide, let’s see how you would capture something amazing with some tips provided.
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What is bird’s eye view in photography?
It means capturing your subjects from above using a drone or by standing on something taller than your subject. You can use a ladder or a tall building. Professional photographers typically use this technique to produce stunning landscape and cityscape images.
Quick Settings for Bird’s Eye View Photography
Aperture – f/8 – f/12
Focal length – 55mm to 135mm
Contrast Parameter – +1
ISO – 200 – 400
Shutter speed – 1/60
Exposure Value – 0
White Balance – Automatic
Quick Tips for Bird’s Eye View Photography
Before you begin, you need to understand a few things about bird’s eye view and what you must have to capture spectacular shots.
● A good quality camera/mobile phone that can support wide-angle and allow manual settings for capturing photographs.
● An extra lens for changing the focal length and capturing different perspectives according to the environment or situation you are in.
● A suitable location where you can get an aerial view or top view of something that you want to capture in your image.
● A drone camera can help you get a good height for capturing images of various locations from the top.
● A tripod stand will keep your camera stable wherever and whenever you are capturing some images.
How to Capture Bird’s Eye View Images
Now we will move to some basic tips and easy methods about how you can be just like professionals while capturing a bird’s eye view of something.
Find Yourself a Spot
For a great bird’s eye view, you will need a building, a rooftop, a mountain, or something like a skyscraper that can provide enough field of view for you to capture an image. You have to settle on a decision for the location you choose. If you are at a skyscraper or a tower, then you can sit at an ideal spot to cover the ground or the surface below.
Find a suitable angle from where you are getting the most of the view for what is down there that you can see. Using high shutter speed from your camera will help you click some clear images. Make sure the aperture is about F/8 or F/12 for best results. If you are shooting some perspectives from a mountain, you can place your camera on a tripod and take some shots.
Come Up To A Really High Place
Think about how you can rise above your subject or situation. To get amazing shots from above, filmmakers take advantage of a lot of devices. Drones for aerial photography can be used in your case. However, anything that may provide you with more height can be used. You may get amazing bird-eye photographs by concentrating on the most important features in an image to notice.
When you are at a height, using a wide-angle lens to take a shot allows you to magnify the entire scene. To avoid blurring, it’s best to concentrate on the most prominent element or use the aperture at f/8 or more to keep everything clear.
Focus On Symmetry
Bird’s eye view photography can assist you in discovering the beauty that can only be seen from a great height. A garden, a city plaza, or a country park may display an unusual symmetry. There, you can look for objects that are similar and which form asymmetry. Look for places that offer a lot of opportunities for repetition. The precise positioning of things may produce precise shapes and forms.
Using your camera and lens, you would be able to capture symmetrical places in your picture. Similar things can be seen at railway stations, mooring berths, or other such spots that add a touch of extreme shots in photography.
Capture the Horizon
If you want to cover the entire view that you can see in front of you from the top, it’s best for you to try to capture it in a single frame using wide-angle lens settings. The use of difficult-to-reach perspectives creates a dynamic and profound image of the horizon. You can experiment with similar-shaped buildings, forests, extreme roads, coastal lines or beaches, and unusual shadows from above in a single picture to capture something amazing.
Take Help Of A Drone
A drone will almost certainly be the only method to get a photo in certain situations. It’s actually an excellent instrument for bird’s eye view photography since it goes where the birds are. First, figure out how to use the controls. These devices have GYRO controls usually while allowing easy mobility. If you’re planning to utilize a drone for photography for the first time, go with a high-quality but low-cost model.
You can practice capturing shots from a certain height and cover different angles for a spot without putting yourself into misery. This will save you the trouble of going to the top of various places just to capture a bird’s eye view. After your practice, you can opt for a high-end drone that has long-distance coverage and more battery timing along with HD picture capturing quality.
Snap and Edit Your Photos
You can take a number of snaps from where you stand. Try to go from every angle for aerial photography and make the best use of your drone and tripod. Once you get a lot of shots, choose your favorite ones and start editing them in good software. There are several picture editing tools and software available.
Color correction, adding effects, eliminating spots, deblurring, and making images more attractive are all possible with them. With the perfect editing skills, you will have the best bird’s eye view photographs in your gallery.
Bird’s Eye View Photography Tips and Tricks
There are some easy tips and tricks that you can follow to capture some useful images while performing bird’s eye view photography. For this purpose, take these tips into consideration.
- You can climb to the summit of a mountain for a breathtaking view of your surroundings. To build this viewpoint, try to capture the views that you see in the bottom portion of the mountains.
- When you look at the landscape from a higher vantage point, you may notice several lovely views in the front. Make an attempt to catch these instances on edge.
- If your camera supports RAW format, we strongly advise you to capture your photographs in RAW format. It will help you notice even the most minute details in the surroundings. You may later post-process the RAW images to create a final image with decent subtlety.
- Tall structures and high towers are also excellent places to photograph from a 10,000-foot aerial view. (Note: Before you take out your camera, double-check that photography is authorized in these areas.)
- As you are all aware, the elevated viewpoint will be used in over 90% of the images. Drones are very useful for capturing higher perspectives of sceneries and landscapes in the wilderness. Consider investing some money in a drone if you are interested in such viewpoints.
- Photographs taken from a helicopter may also provide a 10,000-foot perspective. You may not acquire the expected casing and set it up for use in a helicopter as a stabilizer, unlike drone photography. It is because you can’t get the different points and locations.
- You’ll be able to take images with a better focal lens from a reasonable distance, thanks to aerial perspective photography. Even the bigger things in the region will appear little in this manner.
- Remember that a low ISO of 200 to 400 is often excellent for capturing the image. It will ensure that there is less disturbance in the picture and that no details are lost.
- Because you feel everything in the picture should be in focus in this type of photography, you’ll want to use small gap openings that correspond to large f values. Aperture advantages of f8.0 or greater can be used. It will ensure that your photograph has a greater depth of field.
- When looking down from a high vantage point, you may see walkways and streets in the environment. They’ll appear as lines and bends on the screen. The pathways/streets may be used to create and capture photographs.
- By capturing the shadows of the subjects with the view, you may make the task more interesting.
- To take images in this type of photography, you don’t have to stick to a 90-degree angle. Experiment with different angles under 90 degrees when constructing your angles.
- You may sometimes give the image more life by capturing more life in the image. Consider capturing human beings or wildlife in your aerial view.
- If you’re planning a photoshoot in another location, we strongly advise you to conduct respectable research on the internet. It will give you a better idea of what you may expect there.
- You should also look at the climate and environment in the area. If you’re going to that location during a rainy season, make sure you have good rain protection for your camera and yourself.
Why Is Bird’s Eye View Photography Useful?
To Give a Feeling of Image to Your Viewer
Photographs shot from a 10,000-foot viewpoint might make the observer feel superior to the subject. They feel powerful whenever they look at the photo. They transform into superhumans, looking down on the topic at hand. You may use this effect to tell a tale through your photos.
For example, if you click a child who is doing something nefarious, you may capture it from a 10,000-foot vantage point as if the observer were a parent demonstrating appropriate behavior.
To Capture the Entire Scale of Spectacular Landscapes
From a high vantage point, there are certain scenes that are mind-boggling. However, at a distance of 10,000 feet, they appear to be even more spectacular. Bird’s eye view gives the best perspectives for the entire scale when photographing the mountains from a higher vantage point. You commonly capture tops in the foreground and behind the scenes. This creates a DOF and highlights the height differences, which brings more light and energy to the images.
To Capture Forms and Shapes From Above Structures
This type of photography is also helpful for capturing amazing shapes and structures that we can’t perceive when we are on the ground. Regardless, they display their undiluted splendor from a higher perch. When you look at a compositional design from the beginning, such as a tall building or a tower, it appears to be fantastic. In any case, you don’t get to see the whole amazing design.
To Draw Attention to a Landscape’s Individual Pattern
Many people never fly above the trees or over the water to gain a better perspective. When you go for a walk in the woods or along the coast, you normally see a simple perspective. With bird’s eye view photography, you may see the scene from a different perspective. You can display surfaces and examples that people wouldn’t be able to view at the surface level.
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FAQ’s
What Precautions Must You Take After Clicking Photographs?
Try not to upload your photos straight from your camera to your favorite online entertainment sites or your own websites. Photo editing software such as Lightroom, Photoshop, or others may be quite useful. Make sure your image is resized and optimized for the site. It will ensure that the observer receives the most accurate survey results.
What Can You Capture in Aerial Photography?
For some stunning shots from the top, you can capture the following.
● River/Ocean
● Staircase
● Megapolis
● Forest
● Children
● Roads