Great Tip for better pet photography, get down on their level

We all love to photograph our pets but how can we take simple snapshots to a whole new level of outstanding photography? One tip is to get down on their level.

Pho Dog Grapher by Edward M. Fieldng — Pho Dog Grapher by Edward M. Fielding. With careful planning, a well behaved dog and a hidden treat one can pull off a concept photograph such as this. https://edward-fielding.pixels.com/featured/pho-dog-grapher-edward-fielding.html

Get down – on your pet’s level. This is a great tip for keeping small dogs from jumping up when greeting you at the door – you get down on their level and engage with them eye to eye. The same is true with photography, get down on their level and look them straight in the eye.

Pug Dog by Edward M. Fielding. Shooting straight on to a pet’s face humanizes our pets. A head shot such as this is treated the same way as a human subject, rather than having the animal strain their neck to look up at the photographer. https://edward-fielding.pixels.com/featured/pug-dog-black-and-white-edward-fielding.html

Too often we see photographs from the perspective of the humans, looking down at pets as their inferiors. The magic happens when we start to see the world from their perspective with is often only a few inches off the ground.

Black and white photograph of a cute dog by Edward M. Fielding. This puppy was posed on an antique high chair which brought the dog up to eye level with the camera. https://edward-fielding.pixels.com/featured/mutt-black-and-white-edward-fielding.html

Take photographs from down on the ground or raise the subject up to your tripod level via a steady and safe platform or maybe even meet them half way on a chair or couch.