Tuesday, September 16, 2008

How to get a good pic of your dog-part 3


collie1, originally uploaded by phaird.

Trying to get a portrait of your dog can be a real challenge. Getting them to stay in that perfect pose while you get your camera ready can be frustrating but there are a few things you can do. First, is to get your dog tired. Go throw a ball around or make them run. Let your dog get that energy out. Once they cool down from running around, they will be more likely to listen to you and focus on the strange task you are asking them to do (really, what do dogs care about photos).
Next you want to make sure you're dog is clean. Run a towel and a brush over them to get the dirt and grass off. You may not notice when your taking your picture but you will notice when you look at it.
Then consider your surroundings. Avoid distractions, get some toys and treats to keep your dog focused on you. Then you can consider your light. A bright sunny day will give harsh shadows and if you've got a dark haired dog, the shadows will go black really quick. A slightly overcast day would be ideal. You'll get all the details without the harsh contrast. If you do shoot on a sunny day, consider using a flash. Most on camera flashes will do a okay job of filling in the light in the shadows.
Last thing is to avoid distractions in the background. Trees popping out of your dogs head or a random person in the background will be distracting.
Most of all, you and your dog should enjoy the time. Your dog only wants love and attention from you and what better way to get it then taking photos.
Take a look at the photographers on the right of the blog to see some good examples. You may be inspired to try it something similar yourself.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good advice - another tip is catch him unawares just as he wakes up from his afternoon nap.

david santos said...

Excellent posting and very nice dog.
Appreciated.
Congratulations!!!

bmnblog said...

Love this Dog Blog! (I'm on the lookout for dog blogs) Do you have a "follow this Blog" link?

ajree said...

What about when you just get their attention by distracting them from what they are doing? I'd send in a good photo, but there does not seem to be a way to attach it herein...Oh well, I enjoy the site...

www.jokingright.blogspot.com

Excomungados said...

I love the pets!!!!

chelsie dean said...

that is good advice...

ALVIN BLOGS said...

i love your dog very much.....
how to made dog like that....

sory my english is bad....
i'm indonesian

ALVIN BLOGS said...

i love your dogs very much.....
how to made dog like that??
sorry my english is bad..
im indonesian

Bill B. said...

Good thoughts . . . dog pics can be a challenge, but what fun too. By the by, my dog wrote my blog entry on nomajorcomplaints.blogspot.com today (and he posted a pic too of course), so stop by if you have a minute for some canine reading!

~Marie~ said...

Great picture.. and great advice. My dog is so tired of me taking pictures of him that when he sees me either open my cell phone to snap a photo, or take out my camera, he turns his head. LOL Cracks me up everytime.

PREACH Media said...

Excellent photos. The angles were just perfect! More than a professional advice.

Congratulations!

Queen B. said...

Agree ! Excellent posting ! I love taking pictures of my dog as well ! www.theroyaldog.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Dear Dog Park,
As a dog aficionado, I'm thrilled to have discovered your blog on Bloggers of Note.

I appreciate the tip on running around before taking pictures. I will give it a try as my dog will only stay still from napping or about to fall asleep but then he looks like he's on drugs.

He's grown now from the puppy picture in my blog. http://aboutaliciagrecco.blogspot.com
Indeed they are amazing creatures and can't imagine my life without them. Sadly I still hear people that buy dogs at puppy stores, unaware of how they were raised. I hope to help raise awareness of puppy mills through my blog.

Continued success--I voted on BLURB!

Tails said...

Wow these are great tips! Believe it or not, I actually got most of them down today while taking photos before even reading them! Great minds think alike!

And today was slightly overcast, which was perfect! Thanks for inspiring me to take more photos of my gorgeous Gizmo :)

(not to advertise my blog, but in case you're interested on what your tips produced, pics can be seen in my blog post Dog Photos! aka Photographers-Block Solved!) :)

Unknown said...

I am quite glad to have discovered your blog. A blog all about puppies and their amazing-ness? Just perfect!

and this is great advice. Thanks for the help!

Nana Net said...

Thanks for the advice. I do love to take pictures of my Babies! Now to start blogging about them!

Unknown said...

You can hold food in front of it. That always gets their attention...

Man Named Kim said...

blogs of note strikes again.

i'm on board with you and the DOG thing...

hey. do you know what an agnostic, dyslexic, insomniac does?

stays up all night wondering if there really is a dog. :)

Jenny Lewis said...

What a great site! Glad to see fellow dog lovers and their dogs having fun. Congrats on your recognition as well. Being an avid photographer myself, you gave some real good advice for dog portraiture. My dog Pixel is such a great photo subject that she now has her own blogger site that is very fun, so stop by when you have a chance. http://pixelblueeyes.blogspot.com is the URL. She would love to get some visitors to read about her antics and leave comments.
Take care and have a great weekend!
-Pixel's Mom

Lauren said...

Great tips! I'm going to power up the camera next time I go and give it a shot!

Anonymous said...

excellent post, i gave your site address to my best friend who is an ardent dog lover

Chris M said...

He is beautiful. :-)

I have a border colly cross, and have a great photo of him in a park. Not sure if you take submissions or not?

If you do, let me know.

THE SANDY DOG BAKERY said...

great post!!

Anonymous said...

excellent advice. i love this blog!

kenny8blog said...

Hi again.Just want to correct error in my first post:I meant
Pounds not ponds,when referring
to Bears last address/pre your
great rescue.Good luck. Kenny

Anonymous said...

good nice

Nikon-guy said...

nice pics.. what kind of camera?

Unknown said...

I shoot with a Canon 5D. Thanks