>>3527959>actual discussion incomingWe said almost the same things. I think shooting down is generally bad (and typically amateur) unless for good reason. Same with shooting up, although there are more good reasons to do that, and you generally get a better effect. What he said was "it doesn't change the fact that shooting upwards at the belly of a bird is an amateur photo" which is an absolute. It's very ignorant to box yourself in with a rule like that, as it kills many framing and perspective options. Even ones most people don't think of, such as shooting high while a bird is banking; it looks like you're level with it when you're not.
I generally prefer to be level with the subject and climb trees all the time to achieve that. Sometimes you can't though, or you're after that higher angle for framing or perspective reasons.
>>3525986 was at an ocean cliff so if I had gotten level it would have been plain sky in the background. It was going to fly by regardless, and faced with 3 options (no shot, boring shot, or something different) I opted to put some foreground in so got as low as possible which gave me the option to frame rather than just center a bird against a blank sky. Work with what you've got, right? Added bonus, it landed right where I was going to stand had I climbed up so I got to observe it for a while and get a landing and takeoff sequence. These shots may not be award-winning but they are different to the other eagle shots I have gotten over the years, so it's a bonus in my books. It's always refreshing to capture something different. This isn't a contest, it's a hobby (that has made me incidental money) and I do it because I enjoy it. If
>>3521122 wants to shoot like that because they enjoy it, then power to them as well. Do what you want, there are no real "rules" just opinions, some of which are more widely accepted than others.
