Your Result:
Your photos are being taken from the wrong height
I see this constantly! And the tricky thing is, most people think they’re already getting low enough. They’re kneeling, crouching, shooting at what feels like eye level. But with most dogs, that’s still not low enough.
When you’re too high, the ground in the background creeps into the frame and takes up space it has no business taking up. The background stops feeling like atmosphere. Your dog loses presence. It becomes more… weird to edit (it’s hard to shape light from above when “above” is only 1/3 of the photo). Everything feels a bit… flat.
One thing to try:
Next time you’re out, put your camera on the ground. Not low. ON the ground. Then raise it slowly. When your dog has legs and isn’t drowning in foreground, that’s your starting point.
It’ll probably feel lower than is comfortable. That’s fine. Find a balance.
Of course, there are exceptions! There’s rarely RULES in photography. As I say in the video above: use your eyes and your brain and ask: what is important in this photo? What do I want my audience to see?
BONUS! 3 Simple Steps to Better Pet Photos snippet:
Ready to fix this properly?
Most people think they need to learn “magical edits”. In reality, most people need better foundation skills.
Starting Point is the entry tier of The Learning Journey, my membership for pet photographers who want to take photos that actually feel how they imagined them.
It’s not a quick fix or a beginner’s sampler. It’s a curated library of foundation lessons covering the things that make the biggest difference to your photos… in the order that makes sense to learn them.
50 lessons. Around 30 to 40 hours of video content. All the things I wish someone had told me at the beginning.
What's Included in Starting Point?
📸 Capture the Moment
- The Beginning Stage lesson library including the 4 core courses with around 50 lessons and 30 to 40 hours of content:
- Mastering the Foundations
- Light
- Camera Settings
- Beginning Editing.
- Starting Strong: A 5-week guided beginning for new members, so you know exactly where to start and what to focus on first. Recordings included and available!
- Selected event replays: Access to replays of events where the content is relevant and useful for where you are.
💡 Learn, Grow & Connect
- The Inspawration community: The same community as Complete Access members. One space, no hierarchy, genuine peer feedback and connection.
- Monthly challenges: Structured prompts to get you shooting with intention, not just waiting for the perfect moment.
- Edit and Chill sessions: Watch me edit in real time. No performing, no perfection. Just the actual process.
- Critique video access: Watch monthly critique sessions and learn from the feedback given to other members’ work.
All for only €14 per month!
No contracts, no minimum term.
Or… find out more!
