Dog photography advice

The world famous Crufts Dog Show begins today and if you can get along, you stand the chance of capturing some interesting pictures. You just have to deal with low lighting levels and be quick on focusing to capture the decisive moment. Visit Crufts for more information or later in the year, get along on one of the many canine events that take place around the country.

Dog owners, though, can start today. Some people put their pets before family and have images of their favourite dog sat alongside their wedding, holiday and children's pictures. This might be you too!
Gear needs
Of course, you are stuck if you do not have a dog but the odds are you know someone with one so if you are really keen, finding a subject is not an issue.

Having a trained dog helps and it helps if they are used to being in front of a camera. You don't want to get your DSLR out to find they either want to eat it or won't come near you or it because they're unsure about it. Some dog could not give two hoots; others will just scamper away.

In terms of kit, you have already got the kit you need, ie a DSLR with a lens or two. Or you could be different and try something like using a Lens Baby for a different effect.

Techniques to try
Pet photography is a popular subject but most people tend to snap their dog is sitting, rather than capturing the active moments dogs are well known for.

Shots of your pet running and chasing around are far more interesting than a static shot of them sat on a rug in-front of the fire. But to capture them it takes some planning and dogs running around are fast and they can be unpredictable. Having someone with you (your partner? Kids?) definitely will be a help because you can ask them to call for the dog while you concentrate on shooting.

Try autofocus in its continuous or servo AF and see if it can track the subject. It might cope well but as dogs move quickly and their coats are low contrast, autofocus can be tricky so try manual prefocusing on a particular spot and when your dog runs to it press the shutter. You'll also need a reasonably fast shutter but not so fast that the dog is frozen in the image. Having a mix of sharpness and blur can work well, or just use an even slower shutter speed for more blur.
Expose for the dog and not the surroundings. If you have a particularly dark or light dog you may find exposure compensation helps the camera meter correctly. As with human portraiture it's also important for the eyes to be sharp but again, due to the speed they move, this can be difficult to perfect.

We're used to standing and looking down on dogs so a shot from this height is nothing special. So instead try getting get down to your dog's eye level or even lower. Kneel, lie (but there's no need to roll over!) to produce a much more dynamic and interesting shot. With features like LiveView getting a composition from ground-level is easy enough. That can be even more dramatic.

Natural light is good but as with humans, dogs look less good in contrasty light. For maximum detail in the coat, a bright sky when the sun is gently diffused by high cloud can work well. If the day is quite dull, try fitting the flashgun to lighten the shadows. Or use try underexposing the daylight so your lit subject stands out proudly from a darker sky. It can be a great look.
You've read the article, now go take some fantastic images. You can then upload the pictures, plus any advice and suggestions you have into the dedicated Photo Month forum for everyone at ePHOTOzine to enjoy.