These images were shot from an ants eye view. I’ve always been fascinated by ants. I even had an ant farm when I was a child. Despite my lifelong interest, this was my first time ever photographing them. One thing I’ve found interesting about them is that they just work. They are always busy, moving and doing their business: digging, carrying.
“But I’m willing to do The Work
Willing to do what I gotta do…”
– Prince
My ants eye view was actually me lying face down near a walking trail, with my camera on a Gorilla Tripod. Since the legs can be bent however you like, the tripod is perfect for extremely low shots. And, shooting ants requires you to be very low. The tripod gave me more stability than if I were shooting handheld, and the ball head allowed for smooth camera movement.
What I noticed is that if you are lying down near a walking trail, you get a lot of weird looks and questions from the walkers. I guess it’s not something they see every day. So, the odd sight makes them curious. The ones curious enough to say something ask, “what are you taking pictures of?” They are amazed and amused by the fact that I was photographing ants. One lady even asked to see the pictures while she walked by me on her second lap. It’s not the first time I’ve encountered curious onlookers, and won’t be the last. It’s the price I have to pay to get the shot – this time I also got pretty dirty.
“Good photographers are the ones hunching, squatting, and bending over backwards. They’re the ones constantly on the ground and climbing on benches. Good photographers perform all manner of photography yoga to get the shot.”
– Henry Carroll
Excerpt from the book: Read This If You Want To Take Great Photographs
