Overhead – A Different Perspective Filming Nature and Wildlife

I’ve been working on a tallgrass prairie film for several years now. The deeper I get into filming the prairie, the more I discover.

One thing I’ve wanted to convey all along is how fragmented the native tallgrass prairie has become in Iowa. Only 1/10th of one percent of native tallgrass prairie survives in Iowa. The second largest remand of native tallgrass prairie is only 242 acres in size. Most is little plots in ditches or pioneer cemeteries that were never plowed.

It’s hard filming a prairie and providing scale how small these little remnants really are.

I thought if I could show the prairie and nature itself from a different perspective maybe it would help sink in how little we really have left.

That perspective is overhead.

By flying above the prairies, the creeks, the woodlands, it brings a new perspective to my filmmaking both literally and figuratively.

From the ground it’s really difficult to hit home with how little native prairie is left.

Take a look at this image below. Can you tell how large this prairie is?

How about if we look down from below? Not only can you see how small the prairie is but you can also see that it is literally bored in by the city.

But an overhead perspective can also show the beauty of nature.

This was filmed at sunrise 400 feet above a local park. There was no way I could have taken this shot from the ground.

The ability to get above my subjects adds one more tool to my storytelling toolbox. I think it will really show how much trouble nature is really in while at the same time showcasing the beauty from a view most of us never see.

And as always, shoot the ordinary and make it extraordinary!