It can often be tricky to photograph a subject from below without creating an unflattering perspective, but photographer Joshua McDonald of ROGUE Film Co. was anxious to test his creativity with more aggressive angles for this Colorado engagement shoot.

To achieve this particular look, McDonald laid out on the ground of a grassy park with his 24mm lens and framed his subjects in the corner of the composition to avoid making them look stretched out. For lighting, he relied solely on what was left of the 7 p.m. sunlight as it set over the nearby Rocky Mountains. To prevent the couple from looking directly at the setting sun, the photographer directed them into this natural-looking cuddle position.  “I love this framing because I feel it gives the impression that they are standing on top of the world and that they have everything in front of them,” McDonald says. “The hardest part was holding a crunch-pose long enough to get the right shot!”

(Captured using a Canon 5D Mark III and a 24mm f/1.2 L II lens, and edited in Lightroom using McDonald’s own preset.)

Photo © Joshua McDonald

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