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Photographing Your Dog: Tips And Suggestions

  • 28/10/2014

By Kritika Ashok, Hobbyist photographer, dog lover and director of artnouv.com- your online art gallery allowing you to get your dog portraits commissioned at reasonable prices.

Taking a photograph of one’s energetic pup or dog can be very tricky- you want to capture their personality, their spirit and their uniqueness.

Before any photo shoot, it is best to understand what one is trying to achieve:

-          it’s a pup shoot for the new addition in the family

-          a memory shoot for an aging dog

-          a shoot to capture their playfulness and youth

-          a shoot to capture them as a showdog

or anything else.

Knowing the purpose allows one to choose the day, time and the location of the shoot.

Before the shoot, decide on the props, the time and the location. Also, decide whether you are doing it yourself or getting a professional photographer to do it.

-          Props:

  • Only use them if the dog is used to them- trying to get them to play with a brand new toy may not work a photoshoot
  • Use them based on your objective, for example, a pup photoshoot could have a puppy in a nappy or cocooned like a new born baby
  • An older dog could have a blanket wrapped around it or based on their personality, fake moustaches or glasses
  • Play around and see what works best to capture the true innocence of the dog

-          Time:

Based on what you are trying to capture, choose the time of the day:

  • If you want to capture a lazy pet, try and get them mid yawn early morning or close to the evening
  • If your dog is energetic and playful, try and get him when it wants to play- preferably after a bit of exercise so they are not completely unruly
  • If your dog loves sunrises, try and get the photographof them walking at that time

-          Location:

  • If your dog is happiest on a beach, choose that location
  • Or if you want to capture in the house, make sure there is a spot clear for them to play about it in for the photograph
  • If you want to see them fetching a ball or such, ensure there is enough room for that
  • Ensure you are in a place dogs are allowed
  • Try and choose a location with as much natural light as possible or very bright lights

-          Photographer:

  • If you think you can keep your dog under control and shoot at the same time, go for it
  • If you think you may needed to get the dog to focus on something or to play with, bring in some help in the form of a professional photographer

During the shoot, let the dog be the focus and do your best to capture the images you want.

-          Be patient- they are animals and they will do what they want to do. A forced image will not make for great memories

-          Use the pre mentioned props to get different images

-          Play with angles- take photographs from below, from above, from the side, from the front- digital cameras these days forgive our continuous shooting habits

-          If you want to capture them alert, let them get comfortable and then surprise them with a treat or something that gets their attention- allowing for a few moments of pure alertness

-          Focus on the eyes

After the shoot, you can choose what you want to do with the photographs. Some options could be:

-          Get a digital frame and have the images rotate so you can relive them all

-          Get a photograph blown up

-          Get your own custom painting from the photograph.

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