We decided to do a blog on how to get better photographs of your pets. i.e. US!
Dog and Animal owners love to capture everything that they find beautiful and that they hold close to their hearts, and that includes us.
Us dogs can make some of the funniest, cutest and vibrant photography subjects. As we can be unpredictable it can be very difficult to capture really good shots.
Here are some useful and hopefully practical tips for you.
Use Natural Light
The best option is to use the natural and continuous lighting that the sky provides. This won't frighten us or cause us to have red-eye in the images.
Use a Fast Shutter Speed
By not using a fast shutter speed we can appear to look like a blur, especially if we are moving fast. Using a fast shutter speed it will allow you to freeze the action. Such as us running or jumping up to catch a ball.
Shoot Where We Are Comfortable
If you have a nervous dog, its best not to take them to a location they are not comfortable with. This may stop them from showing their character and personality. So go to a local park they are used to or even the back yard. This will hep them feel and look more comfortable for the camera.
Get Down to Our Level
When capturing photos of your pet, it's best to get down to their eye level as this will give you the best view of their expressions. This may require you to lay down on the floor or crouch down, depending whether you have a Great Dane or a Itty Bitty Chihuahua.
Grab Our Attention
You can use whistles, treats or if they are really well trained words 'look' to get our attention when trying to capture our photos. Being ready in position to get our photo, you can call us once you have your gear ready, so when we look you can fire a shot or more of us looking directly at the camera.
Focus on Our Eyes
"Eyes are the window to the soul" and this applies to any living subject. When you are framing us in your camera, make sure to auto-focus on the eyes to make sure they are sharp.
Change Your Perspective
Try shooting from different angles, such as way down below when shooting bigger dogs, or from the side, from above or even from behind. You can let your creativity run wild by taking close up shots of the face, paws or even the tail.
Be Patient
Unless your pet is super trained and very well behaved (like we sometimes are) then you will need a lot of patience. We can sense your energy, so if you are getting stressed out or frustrated at us, we all start to mirror it.
So the more relaxed you are, the more relaxed we will be.
The Most Important Part
REWARD US!! This can be in the form of belly rubs, toys and even treats! Treats are the best :)
Use rewards to make the shoot more fun and enjoyable! Remember it should be fun, the more we enjoy it the more we are likely to do it again in the future.
Hope these Tips were Useful
Bark Soon
Phoebe & Prue x
