How to Make Use of a Dog Perspective in Pet Photography

With pet photography, taking a picture from a dog’s perspective can make all the difference. Shooting from a low angle captures more engaging and interesting shots than shooting from a higher perspective.

This is because humans are used to looking down at dogs. By photographing dogs at their level, you instantly connect them with the viewer and show off your subject’s personality more dynamically.

Shooting from a high angle can make your pet’s photos look generic and staged. But capturing them from below adds interest and life to your images. So next time you photograph Fido, get down on the ground and see what happens!

Best Wide-Angle Zoom Lenses for Pet Photography

Canon RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm F/4 S

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm F/4 S

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN | A for Sony E

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN | A for Sony E

Fujifilm FUJINON XF 10-24mm F/4 R OIS WR

Fujifilm FUJINON XF 10-24mm F/4 R OIS WR

Dog Perspective With Composition and Lenses

Photography has two different perspectives—compositional and lens-based. Sometimes, a mixture of both is used. We will explore the ever-important dog perspective and more!

7 Composition-Based Perspectives

Composition-based perspective depends on one’s physical position or the arrangement of elements in an image.

1. Eye Level

The most effective perspective is to photograph the pet from their eye level. Viewers are more empathetic and attracted to images from the same perspective as the subject.

Pet photography means seeing life from a dog, cat, or horse’s viewpoint, which is intriguing to humans. Using the focus points on your camera is a good way to ensure the eyes are focused. I like to set them straight in the middle.

I focus on the eyes, hold the shutter halfway down to lock focus, and then move my camera to my ideal composition. Changing the aperture setting a few stops higher for pets can also make focusing on the eyes easier.

2. From Below

A cool change of scenery can be as simple as lying down on the floor. With a wide-angle lens or a lens that allows a close focus range, lying down and having a pet stand over you makes for a very fun shot.

A popular and beloved shooting perspective for cats is placing a curious feline on a glass table and photographing them from underneath. This creates an almost spaceship-like form. Although these perspectives are uncommon, viewers love them.

3. From Above

The cutest look is a dog looking up at you, begging for a treat. It’s a fan favorite. Shooting from above and looking down can create a very cute portrait. Just make sure the eyes are in focus!

Use a treat, toy, or odd noises to get the pet’s ears up and an alert facial expression. If you’re using an object like a toy or treat, place it directly above the lens. You can even rest it on top of the lens! This gets the pet looking in the correct spot.

4. From Behind

A brilliant storytelling shot would be from between a pet’s ears. Whether it be a dog, cat, or lizard, the viewer becomes one with the animal. They see the world from the animal’s perspective.

Similar to why people strap GoPros or small cameras to their pets’ heads, photography lets you view life through the eyes of another being. Try this in an atmospheric location, and the audience will respond well to your image.

5. Environmental

Sometimes, the location is the most powerful element in an image. As such, keeping the subject as a small part of the landscape is a form of perspective in pet photography.

This creates a vast, cinematic look to your images and immerses the viewer in the shot’s environment. The pet is suddenly thrust into a wonderful story.

6. Negative Space

Although a photo is frozen, the viewer can still imagine the subject’s next step. Leaving enough negative space in the direction you expect your subject to continue moving will make it seem like it’s bouncing off the photograph.

If the photograph is cropped with little negative space, the image will feel claustrophobic and caged.

You can play with negative space to create a new photographic perspective, such as skewing your subject to the side or experimenting with off-center compositions. A silhouette is another way of playing with negative space.

7. Close-Ups

Photography has the wonderful ability to make small, minuscule details look fascinating. Have you ever truly looked at the texture of a dog’s nose or the roughness of a cat’s tongue?

Shooting such things close up is a way to breathe new life into the simplest characteristics of a pet. The benefit of close-up pet shots is that owners find such factors of their pet’s physical appearance incredibly endearing.

3 Lens-Based Perspectives

A lens-based perspective is achieved using specific lenses, such as lenses with distortion or fast lenses.

All lenses have different focal lengths and f-stops. The focal length is the distance between the lens and its focus. And it affects the perspective. For example, a 16mm focal length shows a much wider frame than a 200mm lens.

The f-stop, or the aperture, tells you how wide the lens can open. The wider the aperture (a smaller the number), the more light it lets in and the shallower the depth of field. The smaller the aperture (a larger number), the less light it lets in and the deeper the depth of field.

1. Wide-Angle Lens

As the name implies, wide-angle lenses have a much wider view than normal lenses. You can get super creative and play with angles and compositions.

Wide-angle lenses distort perspective significantly, which creates a cool effect. This lens type is often used on large dog breeds, such as Great Danes, accentuating the dog’s massive size. It also shows off horses’ long legs.

But wide-angle lenses can be more difficult to use because of the amount of distortion. To capture such a wide view, the glass of the lens is curved or rounded. This creates an unusual look when the subject is not at the correct angle. A common wide-angle lens focal length is 16-35mm.

 

2. Standard Lens

Standard lenses, also known as normal lenses, roughly match what the human eye sees. Thus, the image looks natural to the viewer.

Standard lenses have an angle of view of around 50 to 55 degrees diagonally. They are the easiest lenses to shoot with because you do not have to factor in distortion. The perspective with these lenses mimics that of our organic way of viewing.

But these lenses also tend to have wide-open apertures, which makes them great for a shallow depth of field. This leads us to the next section.

Best Standard Zoom Lenses for Pet Photography

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8L IS USM

Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S

Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II

Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR

Fujifilm XF 16-80mm f/4 R OIS WR

 

3. Shallow and Deep Depths of Fields

A unique and beautiful perspective is a soft photograph with a creamy bokeh. For those who adore dreamy, ethereal, or soft photographs, a wide aperture will quickly become your most trusted friend.

Filmmakers consistently utilize wide-open apertures. It creates a soft focus with a shallow depth of field to give the viewer the illusion of a dream-like state.

As much as shallow depth of field has validity, deep depth of field is equally appreciated and admired. Deep depth of field allows the subject to become part of an impressive landscape or location.

This is a different perspective, as the subject is not isolated. Instead, they are integrated into the image.

 

Conclusion: How to Make Use of a Dog Perspective in Pet Photography

With these dog perspective ideas, go out there and experiment! Whether photographing your pet for your Instagram account or photographing a dog show as a professional, these perspective tricks will be useful.

Check out our Perfect Pawtraits eBook for more tips about pet perspectives!

Best Wide-Angle Zoom Lenses for Pet Photography

Canon RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM

Canon RF 15-35mm F/2.8L IS USM

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm F/4 S

Nikon NIKKOR Z 14-30mm F/4 S

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN | A for Sony E

Sigma 14-24mm F/2.8 DG DN | A for Sony E

Fujifilm FUJINON XF 10-24mm F/4 R OIS WR

Fujifilm FUJINON XF 10-24mm F/4 R OIS WR