Are looking for ideas improve your dog photography? There are a myriad of tips that I could give you but here is just one!

When you show people the the dog photography you’ve so lovingly taken, you want them to really focus on your dog - not so much on the surroundings.

While many techniques will achieve this, for today let’s focus on one of those. It’s called “leading lines”.

Photographers use this technique to naturally draw your eye along subtle lines to direct your attention to a specific point in the image.  This is one of the most valuable techniques used to draw your eye to the subject, in this case your dog, or your dog and its family. 

The lines can be converging as in a path through the woods, with the path leading from the foreground to the background. Or they can go from side to side or even in circles. There are no rules that the line has to go a certain way. While people do usually view two-dimensional photos from left to right, this is simply a guide.

No matter which place you choose to for your dog photography, you should be able to find leading lines. They are all around. So where should you look for leading lines?

One of the easiest places to start is with a path or road - they are everywhere – in forests, at parks, in the city. But you can find plenty of other leading lines, too.

Try to think creatively when you are looking for leading lines for your dog photography.  Many lines are not readily evident. Here are more examples.

Man made structures such as fences, doorways, buildings, columns and bridges.

What about naturally formed leading lines? There are lots! Shorelines on a beach, lines of trees, fallen logs, rows of rocks or plants.

You get the idea!

To illustrate this compositional technique I am going to focus on a recent dog photography session held in Toronto at the Don Valley Brickworks.

Lexi’s Mom approached me for a photo session with her fiancé and their dog Lexi. We chose Don Valley Brickworks Brickworks for Lexi’s photography session because we wanted a place that was informal and with natural surroundings.

Lexi is an 11 year old Puggle who was so much fun to photograph and so co-operative. When she found out I had treats I became her bestie! Together with her adoring Mom and Dad, we had a great session and got some amazing dog portraits many of which used leading lines.

In these images you will notice that I used several elements to draw the viewer’s eye to cute little Lexi and her people.

I wrote another article on leading lines in dog photography some time ago. These examples are also good to look at to illustrate the point.

If you would rather have your dog photography handled by a professional pet photographer then you are in the right place!

Terri J Photography serves the Greater Toronto area including Richmond Hill, Markham, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Scarborough, Brampton, Thornhill and beyond.

I specialize in on-location dog photography including family and couples sessions with your beloved pets.

Simply contact me or book a complimentary consultation.

Not quite ready for a consult? No problem! Join my mailing list below for all things dog related, helpful info, special offers on photography and more.

The theme for my blog circle with some fellow pet photographers this week was “lines”. Here’s a different take on the word! New England dog photographer Darlene Woodward of Pant the Town Photography shares the launch of her new line of merchandise inspired by the joyful memories of her husky mix, Kota.