Member Reviews
Great photo book with some hilarious photos of dogs taken from underneath. Some of them made me smile and others made me want to laugh out loud. This would make an excellent coffee table book. Thank you, Netgalley, for the arc of this book.
What isn't to love about this little book. Wonderful photography from a very unusual angle. The underbelly of the dog. Just gorgeous, makes you smile.
First and foremost, try not to get that theme song stuck in your head. . . sorry.
The first photo doesn’t show a head, just muff and paws without a face. An appropriately weird start.
Chewbacca is in there, as well as others hair piles. And a fox. Never heard of a muri; resembles an Oreo. There’s a shot of an Italian greyhound that looks like a bat.
There’s something vaguely off-putting within all this cuteness, in an uncanny valley sorta way, but I’m sure everyone knows someone who will go bonkers over this.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5
Whilst enjoyable and sure to sell (as dog books always do), this book felt a bit limited, with some breeds included multiple times and so many others left out entirely.
Well I've seen enough dog penis's and nipples to do me a lifetime. While the idea is cute, I wouldnt spend money to see it.
Clever idea. So funny.
Loved this book of photography. Who would have thought looking up at your dog from the ground would be so entertaining? An ant's view is definitely the way to go. Using good photography skills and crystal clear glass with a black background really made for great shots. There are tiny toes, mops with feet and everything in between.
Adding this book to my "reading" list was a no-brainer. It is fun and silly and about real life dogs.
I only wish there had been more variety in the dogs.
UNDER DOGS is a photography book containing exactly what it says: photographs shot from under dogs (the dogs are on a glass floor above the photographer). While not all will understand if/why a book like this even exists, in our house it was a "Oh, Hun, you need to come take a look at this one" or "Oh, wow, that one is so fluffy". Dog lovers to the core will fully appreciate this book.
A quirky book, this one. Photographs of dogs taken from, well, underneath. If that sounds a little spooky then I’d say it’s actually more amusing than discomfiting. The expressions on some of the dog’s faces made me laugh and it really is quite entertaining to see man’s best friend from a different perspective.
My favourite pictures were the scary looking Mutt, the cute Brussels Griffon and (because they were so reminiscent of our own, slightly less well groomed, family member) the gorgeous Miniature Schnauzer. The Yorkshire Terrier looked unrecognisable as an animal of any form – just a coiffed bundle of hair. And the Dachshund looked even longer from this view.
I reviewed the photos with my wife and son over morning coffee and it kept us entertained for the duration.
I love looking at these dogs! So much character and so beautiful!
Under Dogs is a photography project completed by none other than Andrius Burba. I’m sure based on the cover and title it wouldn’t be hard to guess what it is all about, but it’s still such a sweet idea. Burba has gone ahead and photographed dogs from below – of all angles. The unique perspective is creative, odd, and at times downright hilarious (particularly depending on the dogs’ expressions).
Photographing a dog from below is an interesting concept. Burba didn’t do it halfway either – it appears that the dogs are placed on a (crystal clear) pane of glass, allowing him to get a full and perfect view of the complete underside of each dog he chose to photograph.
There are NUMBER of photos included, and they are all crisp and included a black backdrop – an ideal way to keep the focus on the main subject, the puppies! The confused and quizzical looking dogs were probably my favorites, though they’re all brilliant.
I haven’t seen much work by Burba in the past, but it’s clear I’m going to have to keep an eye out for their work from now on. They’ve proven that they can have creative (and cute) ideas and brilliant follow-through. I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Oh, how we love our dogs! And we love seeing stuff on them, them on stuff and now we get to see them from underneath. Burba’s funny, sweet photos of pooches standing on plexiglass and photographed from underneath is a treat for dog lovers everywhere. A sure way to raise a smile after even the hardest day
As a dog-owner, dog-sitter, and all around dog-lover, I knew I couldn't pass this book up. (Just look at that adorable pup on the front!) I have photographed many dogs, my own and those that we sit for, and I can tell you from first-hand experience, capturing the adorable expressions and those unique moments is not an easy task. The photographer, Andrius Burba, does it so well! And I love that the book included not only the standards like Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, and a Beagle, but also my absolute favorite... the pure-bred mutt!
My only complaint was that it was too short! It left me wanting more!
I really enjoyed the photos and know that my husband, step-daughters, nephew and parents will all enjoy it as well. A great coffee table book that's perfect for sharing with everyone!
I absolutely loved this book! When I seen it was available as an ARC, I knew I simply had to review it. I am a huge fan of Underwater Dogs, Peanut Butter Dogs, and Shake Cats, so I knew this book would be right up my alley. Let me tell you.. it did not disappoint. This is what I call a perfect coffee table book. I have a stack of these on the table in my living room. I find these books to be fun conversation starters for when company is over. What I loved specifically about this book, was the classic and clean look to all the photos. The deep black background really made everything pop. I have a few friends who would love to have this book, and I certainly feel like this will make for a great gift.
This book is adorable. It is the perfect coffee table book for dog lovers!!
I love dogs and enjoy seeing them photographed in unconventional ways: Dogs in Cars, Shake, Underwater Dogs, Dogs in Photo Booths - the list is endless. Under Dogs definitely falls on the "weird" end of the spectrum; not so much because they're photographed from below, but because the pitch black backgrounds make it feel as though the subjects are hovering in space. The overall effect is definitely disconcerting. But also predictably adorable. What *will* they think of next?
Four stars because I would've liked a little background on each dog, along with a greater variety of canine breeds. I love Yorkies (Ice Cream Star!), but they're underrepresented here. Where are the rat terriers, yo?
** I received a free e-ARC for review through NetGalley. **
When I saw the cover photograph of Under Dogs and read in the blurb the comparison between this book and previous favourites like Underwater Dogs and Shake it was a no brainer for me. I had to have this book and start it immediately!
I’ll admit it. I’m a dog person. I also love cats that are happy to hang out on your lap for hours while you read and cuddle them but the pets who have always owned me have been dogs. I practically melt each time a dog comes up to me and deems me worthy of giving them a cuddle. I met the most adorable 14 week black labrador on the beach yesterday. His name is Jet and he’s at the soft puppy fur, slightly nippy but surprisingly well behaved stage.
He came right up to me for a cuddle and I considered dognapping him on the spot. He was so big and brave when a big dog came to say hi until the big dog got too close and little Jet’s bravery ran out. He ran to me, put his front paws on my knees, leaned against me and asked without saying a word for me to protect him from this scary giant.
Incidentally the scary giant was actually a grown lab and so placid and adorable itself, but this puppy didn’t know that and he trusted me, a stranger he’d met less than 5 minutes earlier, to protect him. Aww! 😍 Why did I tell you that story? I don’t know. I guess looking at the photographs in Under Dogs reminded me of the most recent canine I’ve fallen in love with.
Andrius Burba’s photography is gorgeous! While it’s very difficult to take a bad photo of a dog regardless of your skill level, Andrius’ perspective and composition was wonderful. I loved the stark black background as there was nothing to distract me from the sweet, quirky and interesting expressions on the dogs.
There are fluffballs with feet, dogs who couldn’t care less that there’s a photographer and/or camera equipment beneath them and others who are peering down with bemused, intrigued or dorky looks on their faces. There are a couple who look to me like they have fear in their eyes and I can only hope if this is true that someone was there to cuddle them in my absence after their photo was taken.
I have two favourite dogs in this book. The first is a Basenji who looks a little like it’s been jumping on a trampoline and is currently midair. It’s got the cutest little tummy wrinkles and head wrinkles. Its pads are still mostly new puppy pink with the beginnings of the darker patches that come with experiencing the world. The look on its face is one that appears to be a mix of curiosity and a wary concern about what’s going on beneath their feet. With a shiny black nose and eyes that seem all pupil, this is the dog I most wanted to cuddle and borrow forever.
My second favourite is an Italian Greyhound momma that’s sitting with her back left leg lifted in the typical ‘I’m about to lick my genitals’ position. I’m sure I’m not the only one that makes up stories about what’s really happening in pictures I see and what I loved about this photo is the timing and the angle that shows her lifted paw directly in front of her eyes. Her head is turned to the left. You can almost imagine that she’s camera shy and is hiding her eyes in the most awkward way possible in an ‘if I can’t see you then you can’t see me’ moment.
A couple of elements were missing in this book that I’ve appreciated in other dog photography books. While each portrait is accompanied by the breed of dog it features, at no point do we learn the name, age or any fun facts about any of the dogs. There also isn’t the introduction I’ve come to expect from the photographer explaining why they chose this perspective, how they accomplished it or any anecdotes about misbehaving or funny outtakes.
I expect this is going to be one of the more popular gift books of 2018 and I am almost positive I’ll be buying it myself once it’s released. For those of you who aren’t dog people, I’ve found a cat version by the same photographer, Unter Katzen, that you may want to check out. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an English version of this one printed soon.
P.S. The marketing machine appears to have begun for this series. 2019 calendars for both Underdogs and Undercats are already available for preorder on Amazon.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to be one of the first to adore this book.