Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-12-14)

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Technique PHOTOGRAPHING DOGS

9

Makethemostofdiffusion

Diffusinglighthelpsminimisetheshineona dog’scoat.Besuretoalso

keepa reflectorcloseby(evenif you’reshootingoutside)toilluminatethe

undersideof thedog.Sincedogsstandonfourlegs,you’llgeta lotof

shadowsontheirtorsoandbelly.Usinga reflectorhelpscastsomelight on

their underside, which is especially helpful with darker-coated dogs.

12

Havefun

Rememberthatyoucan’treally

communicatewithyourmodel,sojusttakethe

shootat a steadypaceandtrytomakesure

thedogis havingasmuchfunaspossible(even

if that does mean a few too many treats).

8

Takecareofyour
legsandknees
Whenyouphotographa dog,
you’lllikelywanttobeat their
eyelevel,orclosetoit. Investin
somekneepads,ora good
cushionif thesearen’t
available,becausea shootlike
thiscaneasilybecometaxing
on your legs and knees.

11

Takebreaks

Eventhemostwell-traineddogs

willgetbored.Beforeyourdogentirely

losesfocusonthetaskat hand,take

frequentbreakstorefreshitsattention.

If you’reindoors,takethemoutsidefor

a changeof scenery.If you’reoutdoors,

pausefora gameof fetchorletthem

snifftheirsurroundings.Withthese

breaks,you’llbeabletoextendthe

durationof thephotoshoot and keep

the dog happy.

7

Portraitlighting
Avoidusingflashasit can
easilycause‘greeneye’onthe
dog.Youalsoruntheriskof
unsettlingthedogasflashcan
bestartling,andyoucannever
besurehowtheywillreact.
Instead,choosea soft,
continuous,diffusedlight
source,suchasanAputure
300dwitha lightdome.You
don’thavetousea lightthis
big,butjustmakesureit’sbig
enoughtocover the dog’s
entire body.

10

Burstmode
If you’reshooting
actionshots,makesureto have
continuousshootingorburst
modeon.It willcapturemany
framesof thesameaction,
givingyoumoreoptionswhen
you’rereadytoedit.Beaware
thatthiswilltakehundredsof
photosonyourcameraor
phone,somakesureyouhave
the space beforehand!

Focusondetailsand

usea shallowdepth

offieldtoisolate

them effectively