Wanderland

Street Photography with Flash and Low Angles

“Under the Park Bench Freeway” 2024

As I wander the streets and beaches of Sydney, I am drawn to the surprising worlds that lie beyond usual linear perspective. As a child I travelled to magical lands in books and television shows through portals to new and heightened realities. I felt compelled to use the camera to discover my own gateways to invisible worlds.

I noticed that hardly any street photographers shot from the level of the street. When I started doing this and adding the element of flash, I was astonished at the new perspective it reveals. I realised where you place the camera has a profound effect on the final image, giving access to scenes of pure imagination usually off limits to the attention of passersby.

This way of seeing can be applied to any life challenges. If we observe things from alternate angles and points of view, it can uncover hidden information, new possibility and fresh perspective.

I shot in this playground on a day when there were no children around for a stress free shoot.

If you don’t mind crawling and sliding around on the ground in public with a camera in one hand and a flash in the other, then shooting from an extremely low angle will be a fun and rewarding exercise for you. I started placing my camera at low angles and underneath structures about a year ago and was astounded by what I saw. It immediately gave me a fresh perspective on an area I was getting bored with. It revitalized my sense of wonder and reinforced the idea that life is fresh every moment. It just depends on how we look at things.

Be prepared to get your clothes dirty while crawling around on the ground!

For the image of the swan, I followed it as it walked around for at least 20 minutes. My knees got covered in mud and soaked but I wanted to get the right angle. I had to constantly change the angle of my flash and until I got the right lighting effect.

I use an off camera flash for these low angle shots so I can control the angle of the shadows for a more surreal dramatic effect.

Using the flash from the side creates dynamic shadows.

In this seagull shot you can see where I have angled my flash to create a lighting effect. This reminds me of a fashion or advertising shoot. I never used to bring my camera down this low but as you can see, there are amazing stories waiting to be discovered. When I walk around in a scene I look for structures to shoot through or find an area I can hide behind like a lamp post so I can shoot the feet of people walking past or dogs that are being walked. This area is a busy beach promenade where there are plenty of subjects. The more people there are, the more invisible you become. Because you are pointing your camera past a subject people don’t notice or care. Now you can wait for subjects to fall into your trap!

Shooting from behind a post or object gives you an element of surprise.

This series WANDERLAND has now been chosen as a featured exhibition at a Photography Festival that I will announce closer to the event. If you are in Sydney Australia, I would love you to come and support my work.

This is also all part of a Zine I am working on which will be available to buy later this year. It will be a limited edition of 30 copies.

If you like my content and would like to support my work, please consider subscribing and sharing it! Have fun on the streets and I will see you soon. Any questions please contact me or comment. I am happy to help. Gavin