For the Pet Photography Challenge this week the task was to take photos from a lower perspective. This is a technique I use all the time in taking photos of Sadie. It makes Sadie feel like a strong focal point in our photos and also helps to show off tall objects or buildings in the background. I really feel that the closer you are to your pets’ level, the more authentic the photos look. You wouldn’t take a portrait of a person from above them, so why take pictures of your pets that way?
But Sadie is a particularly short dog and I am a particularly short person. So getting photos from a lower angle is always a challenge for us. A typical photo shoot at a park or other outdoor location almost always ends in dirt and grass stains all over my clothing as I try to get low enough to photograph Sadie.
That’s why I love scenarios like in the photos in this blog post. All of these photos were taken last Summer in the Berkshires at the highest point in the state of Massachusetts. Leading up to the monument was a big platform with stairs climbing up to it. I was able to place Sadie on the platform above me and take photos of her from below, enabling me to get both Sadie and the full monument in the photos.
While photos from this angle look awesome and make Sadie look confident and tall, there is one slight problem. You may notice a hand in the photo above. My family, especially Sadie’s uncle, absolutely hates when I place Sadie on a higher level to get a good angle for photos. When we’re on a family vacation, like in these photos, it is almost impossible for me to take photos of Sadie without their constant concern and interruption. Obviously Sadie’s safety is my number one concern. I won’t put her somewhere she can fall. She always has a harness on and I always hold onto the leash, even if it gets in the way of my photos. And Sadie is probably the least jumpy dog you’ve ever met – she refuses to jump onto the couch or the bed, so why in the world does my family think she will randomly jump off of a wall? Regardless of my family’s unnecessary concerns, I think that placing your pet safely at a higher vantage point is the perfect way to achieve great photos from a lower perspective.
