This section is from the book "Nature Photography For Beginners", by E. J. Bedford. Also available from Amazon: Nature Photography for Beginners.
A piece of apparatus not usually found amongst the kit of the ordinary photographer will be very useful in Nature work. It consists in some form of tilting-board, to enable the lens to be pointed downwards to photograph, for example, a nest on the ground or a flower or fungus growing very low. Without its aid, the tripod will have to be placed in very awkward positions at times, when it is very likely to overbalance by the weight of the inclined camera, and upset the whole business, including the photographer. There are several forms of tilting-boards on the market, or any one of a constructional turn of mind may easily make one for himself. In its simplest form, it consists of two boards about eight inches by six inches and half an inch thick, hinged together at two of the shorter edges. Two brass stays, which may be purchased from any maker of camera fittings, should be screwed, one on each side of the longest edges of the upper board, and clamped at the other end by a screw nut arranged to work in a slot, so that any angle between o° and 900 may be obtained. One of the two similar boards will be attached to the tripod head by a duplicate screw and the camera fastened to the other by the usual camera screw. This arrangement will enable the tripod to be placed in its normal and perfectly firm position, while the camera can be tilted by means of the tilting-board.
 
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