My favourite tip for better dog portraits
/Hi there and thank you for stopping by! I’m Terri, owner of Terri J Photography, a Master photographer specializing in dog portraits in the Toronto area.
Here’s another tip in a series on how to improve your dog portraits.
Whether you are taking dog portraits for sharing on Instagram or for printing to place in frames, you definitely want photos that stand out from the crowd. And to stand out you need to get low!
Most people will stand above their dog and snap a photo. While these may be cute pictures and this angle is of course the way you usually see your dog in day to day life, they are not going to have that wow factor.
When dogs are photographed from above, their bodies become an important part of the photo, rather than their eyes, and this is not ideal for capturing their personality. Furthermore, it’s not the most flattering angle of the dog and it makes for boring photos!
Getting in front of your dog, down low at his or her level, will get you a far more engaging portrait of your dog. Getting low down allows you to make portraits that draw the viewer into the photo, as you’ll see from some examples below.
Keep in mind that because dogs are closer to the ground than we are, by crouching or lying on the ground, you’ll see the world from their perspective.
An exception to this would be a portrait where the dog is looking up at you with a great expression.
This works well when you isolate the dog by framing out the surroundings and using the ground as the backdrop.
I must admit that is not the favourite type of shot on my list, but here is one of Lily as she lay in the grass during her summer dog portrait session in Toronto.
But other than that one exception, to create amazing portraits one needs to capture shots that will bring the viewer down to the dog's eye level.
Think about these 3 types of dog portraits.
A close up of the dog where the dogs face fills most of the frame. If you’re shooting from the dogs eye level, it is the perfect angle to increase the space that your dog takes up and makes them the focal point of the photo. It allows you to focus the camera directly on the dog’s eyes and draw the viewer into the image. This angle also better captures the dogs personality which is after all what you want!
For this photo I was lying on the grass. Had I been standing up I would never have captured that cute expression and the blade of grass in the dog’s mouth.
2. An environmental portrait where the dog is photographed in an interesting or beautiful place showing some of the surrounding landscape or even in an urban setting. If you get down on the dogs level you will be able see the world as they see it, through their eyes. This also gives a far better perspective of the dog in relation to his or her surroundings.
I was sitting low on the river bank. A standing shot would have shown more of the river and mainly the top of George’s body - definitely not as engaging.
3. The action portrait or “dog running towards me” shot. By shooting from as low as you can get to the dog’s level your photo will have far more impact. Again, shooting at the dog’s level gives the images a more accurate sense of perspective and allows you to see their eyes and expressions clearly, drawing you into their world. By getting really low, you’ll be able to see the space between the dog’s legs and the ground and this makes for a much more impactful action portrait.
If I hadn’t been crouching on the ground I’d have got a shot of the top of Nova’s head and it wouldn’t have had the same impact as this with her running straight at me, legs flying off the ground.
Could you imagine capturing this expression of Rumpy looking directly at me if I was standing up to take the photo? I can’t!
So, the bottom line is this: Get down and always be ready to get a little dirty.
Here is a previous tip on using leading lines for your dog portraits, in case you missed it.
If you are using your phone camera, check out these 9 tips for better pet photography with a mobile phone
While I encourage you to try some of these tips I’ve been sharing, I know that you will also want to be in some photos with your dog and get some really professional looking portraits.
So here’s how…
Contact me for your dog portraits in the Toronto Area!
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As part of a blog circle, I collaborate with amazing pet photographers from around the world in weekly posts on set themes. This week we discussed getting down low and Seattle Dog Photographer, Holly Cook, talks about how getting low has enhanced her portfolio.
If you click the link at the bottom of her post and continue clicking links at the bottom of each post, until you get right back here, you’ll have completed the circle and got some great ideas on how getting low can improve your dog portraits.
Terri J Photography specializes in on-location pet photography including family and couples sessions with your beloved pets in the Greater Toronto area including Richmond Hill, Markham, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Scarborough, Brampton, Thornhill and beyond.
