A FEW TIPS ON PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS

WHAT IS YOUR DOG’S PERSONALITY
Before you start photographing your DOG ask yourself ‘what is special about your best friend?’

Think about what type of personality your dog has and then attempt to capture some of that in your photos.

For example if your dog is placid and has a favorite spot for snoozing,  set up your photo shoot around it’s bed or where it goes to lie in the sun.

Alternatively if your pet is energetic and always on the go it might be better to do your shoot at a local park where it’s racing around, jumping for balls or chasing a frisbee. Does your dog enjoy fetching sticks or playing at the beach or swimming in a  river? If your dog loves playing with other dogs then head for a local dog park.

LOCATION
Consider the background. You don’t want your backgrounds to be distracting from your photograph. Often the best locations are the plainest. Look for  a large patch of green grass, blue sky, a well lit room with light colored walls. Think about where the dog will be comfortable and at ease and not distracted by new or loud noises. Familiar places are ideal.

INTERACTION
The dog needs to be interacting. Often its helpful to get the dog to interact with you the photographer. That means you need to interact with them by calling their name and talking to them. When the dog is looking in the camera, he or she will be looking directly at the viewer of the photograph. If they are not interacting with you then try to capture them interacting with another pet, person or toy.

Include the special people in the life of the dog. Including the owner or other family members interacting with the dog can make the images incredibly special for years to come. Often it's the candid shots of owner and dog at play or napping together that really capture the character of the dog and evoke emotion.

VANTAGE POINT
If you are looking down at an animal,  they need to be looking up at you. Try getting down to their level. You want them eye to eye with the camera. Getting down on your pets level means you enter their world and get a glimpse of what life looks like from their point of view. You will be amazed by the results as they are so much more personal and have a real element of intimacy.

GET CLOSE
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes but usually they are smaller than a human and they tend to end up getting a lost in photos unless you make an effort to get up close to them.

Getting close is not always easy, especially if you have an energetic dog, but it’s worth the effort as you can add so much detail and the personality that can be captured by an up close and personal photo shoot with a dog can really lift a photo to a new level.

If you can’t physically get close to your dog then you need to invest in a zoom or long lens. A longer focal length can isolate your dog in the depth of field and give you a nice blurry background so that your dog pops in the foreground with no distractions in the background.

LIGHTING
You are looking for a well and evenly lit location. Open shade works great or an evenly lit room. Try to avoid harsh shadows with very bright highlights. If your outside try to put the sun behind you but be careful that you don't cast a shadow on the dog.  Side light is also really nice and can create a bit of drama.

Good light is what makes any photograph great. Natural light is the best option so where possible take  photos outside. If you are inside try and shoot in a well lit window.
I wouldn’t recommend using a flash as can distract dogs and sometimes frighten them

MIX IT UP
Just like taking portraits of people, dogs look totally different from different angles and framing them in a variety of ways can bring out different perspectives in your photos. In your photo shoot take some tightly cropped facial shots, focus in on single features like eyes, noses, ears. But also make sure you take three quarter body shots as well as full length shots. In this way you end up with a series of shots that give your photos a full perspective on who your dog is.

FREEZE THE ACTION
Many dogs present a huge challenge to photograph because they are so active. The key with any subject that’s on the move is to freeze their action by using a fast shutter speed. Most digital cameras will allow you to shoot in fully manual mode. Alternatively you can work in shutter priority mode where you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically does the rest by picking a good aperture to work with your shutter speed. Once you’ve got your shutter speed nice and fast make sure your camera is always at the ready so you can anticipate the action of your dog. You might also want to consider shooting in continuous or burst mode to take a quick series of shots in a row. This can lead to a wonderful sequence of shots that work well as a series.