Over the last few years of working on the Bonus Days project and now the A Photo A Day For Life project, I’ve picked up a handful of tricks for taking dog photos. The number one thing you can do doesn’t cost any money and is one of the simplest photography tips I can think of.

What do all of the images above have in common? Besides featuring Nico, they are taken at eye level with him. My number one tip to improve your dog photos is to get down on their level. This may seem like an overly simple tip or suggestion, but it is important to a photo's overall composition and feel. Imagine if every portrait of a person you saw had the camera positioned above the subject’s head.

When I teach photography workshops, I encourage participants to move when engaged with photography. This is especially important when photographing dogs, kids, people, and wildlife, but it is also true for landscape photography. Often, our instinct is to raise our camera and snap away with the camera at our eye level. Getting lower (or higher) changes the photo's perspective enough to draw the viewer’s attention. But most importantly, when photographing a living being, you want their eyes level looking straight at the camera.

The next time you photograph your dog, practice squats, kneel, or even lie on the ground. You’ll very likely get a better shot of your dog; if not, you’re likely to get a few dog kisses.

Have dog photography questions? Leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to respond!