There are many and varied benefits to photography. We’ve discussed many times the positives it can have for your mental health. But what about your physical health?

January is – of course – typically a time when many people make new year’s fitness goals. And although it’s true many of them go out of the window by the middle of the month, it might be a little bit easier to stick to your resolutions if you actually enjoy the process.

That’s where photography comes in for me. Of course it’s my favourite thing to do, especially taking pictures of my daughters and my dog. All of which are pretty small and require some interesting positions to get the best shots.

It’s a super common, but nevertheless useful, tip that in order to create engaging portraits, one should get on the same level as the sitter. Or in my case, the dashing and whizzing around never in the same spot for longer than 3 seconds-er.

So that’s what I do. Several times a week, I’ll make a concerted effort to take meaningful photos – not just quickly grabbed snapshots (though I love those too), but carefully considered and composed images that hopefully we’ll all treasure as a family for many years to come.

This involves squatting down low, having to quickly change position, moving from one place to another and having to react quickly to whatever is going on in front of me. In short, it’s pretty much a full body workout.

You can do it with your phone, but if you’re using one of the best mirrorless cameras and a hefty lens, then you’re even getting a little of bit of weight lifting in there for good measure too.

Take a look at the following examples. In the first shot, I photographed my daughter from a regular standing position. Ignoring the fact she’s not quite in focus (a regular hazard when photographing wayward toddlers)… she’s dwarfed by the surroundings and it’s not a natural viewpoint. In the second down, I’m squatting, giving her the opportunity to look directly down the barrel of the lens – a much better shot. I took these with a Nikon Z8 and 24-70mm f/2.8S II lens, so my arms got a good workout as well as my legs!

An image of a small child which is shot from above
Shot from a regular standing height, the surroundings overpower the child and the perspective is odd. Image: Amy Davies
An image of a small child shot from a squatting position
Adjusting my position gives my thighs a good workout and also engages better with the subject. Image: Amy Davies

I can really feel it the day after a good portrait session with my kids – my thighs are burning and over the past couple of years I’ve noticed my fitness levels have improved substantially. More than that though, my photography is so much better for it, with charming portraits that really benefit from that child’s-eye-view perspective.

Of course, you may not have small children or pets yourself, but there’s still plenty of opportunity to do similar exercises, if you can. Getting down low always offers an interesting perspective on the world, whether you’re photographing a child, an animal or even a macro subject such as a flower or a leaf. Even a landscape image can be changed quite dramatically by shooting from ground height rather than head height.

Do this as often as you can and you might just find your fitness improves, your photography gets better AND you’ll save money on a gym membership too (let’s face it, how often do you REALLY go anyway?).

Let us know how you use photography for additional benefits – it’s always good to find out what others are doing!

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