DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Ten helpful dog photography tips in 90 seconds

May 27, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Hanging out with dogs is rewarding, but photographing them be pose quite a challenge. In this short video from Shutterstock Tutorials, you’ll hear ten helpful tips that will help you to take better photos of dogs, be it your pet or a client’s four-legged friend.

  1. Use treats to keep their attention: you can add a piece of duct tape onto the camera (or even your phone) and stick a treat onto it. Make sure to let the dog smell the treat before it so it stays focused on it while it’s attached to the camera.
  2. Keep treats at hand: reward the dog throughout the shoot
  3. Use props: if a treat doesn’t work, you can also use props to keep the dog’s attention. It can be a ball, a toy or a stick – just place it right below or above or the lens to have the animal look where you want it to.
  4. Shoot handheld: you want to be close to the action all the time, especially if you shoot outdoors where the dog has lots of space to run around. So, ditch the tripod and shoot handheld.
  5. Manual settings and high shutter speed: you need to have complete control over the settings, so shoot manual. Also, use the shutter speed of at least 1/500s, because dogs are fast and you want to freeze the action.
  6. AF-C focus and burst mode: as mentioned above, dogs are fast. So, use continuous AF to keep the dog in focus as he plays and runs around. Using burst mode will make sure you use every moment and get more keepers.
  7. Use a big continuous light source: depending on your shooting location, this can either be a large modified light indoors or shooting on a cloudy day outdoors. A large light source works best against the dogs’ shiny hair.
  8. Stay away from strobes: the continuous light source is a better choice because strobes can frighten some dogs. And if you’re photographing a dog for a client, you never know how it will react, so a continuous light can simply be a safer option.
  9. Use a reflector: in addition to the large light source, also use a reflector to illuminate the underside of the dog, especially if it’s dark-coated.
  10. Invest in knee pads: you’ll spend a lot of your time on dogs’ level if you photograph them. So, invest in knee pads to protect your knees from getting sore or injured.

Of course, there are plenty more tips you can apply when photographing dogs. Still, these are enough to get you started or to help you improve at your very next shoot. If you’re a dog photographer, feel free to share your tips and experiences in the comments below. And if you happen to be more of a cat person, then check out this article.

[Dog Photography in 90 SECONDS | Photography Tips via FStoppers]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Ten pro photography tips I wish I knew ten years ago Ten Photoshop tips in under ten minutes to help you improve any photo Take your night street photography to the next level with these helpful tips Here are 8 helpful tips to help you nail those vertical videos for social media

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: animal, animal photography, Dog, dog photography, dogs

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« This is the first timelapse shot on the new 102-megapixel Fujifilm GFX100
Touchbar? lol – ASUS crammed a second 4K display into the new ZenBook Pro Duo laptop »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • 7artisans launches a 24mm f/1.4 lens for only $109
  • DIYP Quiz: So, you think you know film cameras?
  • Jollylook Pinhole SQUARE DIY pinhole camera kit shoots Instax square film
  • The “Digitally Analog Polaroid” runs ChatGPT code on a Raspberry Pi
  • My first year with the Mamiya M645 medium format film camera

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy