Sadly, you are not 'missing' any particular trick. Larian's camera controls and the way the camera interacts with their world is just plain bad. It's a thing you have to actively fight in order to play the game. Going into tactical mode rarely helps, and it doesn't solve any of the major failings of the system which literally handicap your ability to play in ways that it should not (such as being unable to target things on different levels, even though you absolutely can, and enemies can do it to you just fine).
Mayn have discussed and reported on this, and we're hoping it will be fixed, but it's not even really been acknowledged by Larain at all, as of yet.