How to take beautiful photos of your dog?

Each dog is unique, and in the eyes of its owner, a pet is the most beautiful animal on earth. That’s the way it should be. But how do you capture this character, this personality, these rare features of your dog in photographs that you will keep for the rest of your life? Well, the good news is that the advent of affordable digital cameras has made this task as easy as possible for us…

To get a stunning image of your dog, you need almost everything that is needed for photographing, for example, wildlife – patience, flexibility in lighting and exposure, awareness of the feelings of the animal and many, many shots! A digital camera will let you take as many pictures as you want, so don’t hold back – the more shots you take, the more chances you have of getting the perfect picture. However, it’s still a good idea to be well prepared, so here are some helpful tips that can help you.

Stay focused

Even before you pick up a camera to take a picture of a dog, think about what exactly you want to capture for posterity. The way she manages to stretch out over almost the entire area of ​​the carpet when she sleeps? Or how she jumps like a gazelle when she hears the sounds of dinner being prepared? If you have a specific goal, schedule a time for your photo session and wait for the right moment.

Focus is also important in terms of getting the sharpest image possible. Remember that the autofocus system will do better when fixed on a stable object such as a collar. If the dog moves, the distance from the dog to the camera changes, so remember to constantly focus and refocus the camera, and when the perfect moment arrives, you will be able to capture it in the sharpest possible resolution.

Be patient

Your dog does not understand that you are trying to take a picture of him – so he will not obey commands such as “stay right there!” or “move a little to the left.” You just have to wait until she gets the perfect pose. Let her relax, don’t chase her. If you want your dog to look at the camera, try raising his favorite toy above the camera to get attention.

Provide brightness

As a general rule, flash photography and animals don’t go well together. Some dogs become worried about sudden bright light, and besides, the flash usually “discolors” the saturated colors of the animal’s coat. Natural light – either outdoors or through a window indoors – is not only less traumatic for the dog, but also produces much better results in terms of color reproduction. And if there’s not enough light, the beauty of digital photography is that you can always artificially increase the brightness of the shot on your PC.

be ready

Before you start shooting, make sure you are using the correct lens and that your camera is set to the correct shooting mode. If you have a single-lens reflex camera, you can use a high zoom lens to get close-up shots from a distance without poking the camera at the dog’s face.

Since animals move very quickly, you must set your camera to a short exposure time, otherwise you will get a series of blurry shots every time your dog moves his head. On your DSLR, select Shutter Priority and a fast shutter speed of 1/200 second or faster, and let the camera set its own shutter speed. Or, if you’re using a point-and-click camera, select “sport mode,” which is programmed to capture fast-moving subjects. If your camera has a continuous shooting option, set it up – you might get lucky and get a whole series of fantastic shots of your dog in action.

Be discreet

You can’t get a good photo just by pointing the lens at your pet. Think about everything you want to see in the photo, except for the dog. What will be in the background? A sofa, a tree in the garden, or her favorite couch? Or perhaps you want the focus to be exclusively on the animal? If your camera allows you to set your lens to a wide aperture (with a low f-stop of 4 or lower), you can create a highly artistic effect by using “depth of field” to blur objects around your dog.

Think about angles. If you want to capture your pet in thought, take a picture of her from the side. You need a photo of a dog looking into the distance – shoot from behind. Or do you want her to look straight into the lens? Get down on the floor to her level – this will not only give a better perspective than a shot from above, but also help her relax.

Let others be part of the process

You should not be afraid that people will get into the frame. After all, this photograph will be especially dear to you in the future if it depicts another beloved creature. Sometimes just a pair of hands hugging a dog in the frame is enough to give the image additional emotional warmth. It can also be a way to keep an overactive dog in place long enough for you to take a picture!

See how the person and dog interact with each other. If you’re lucky, you might be able to capture that beautiful moment of revelation when they look at each other lovingly, or when the dog relaxes and breaks into a beaming smile.

Finally, the most important recommendation

If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t give up. The more your dog gets used to being around your camera, the better he will learn to ignore it and behave naturally.

And it is at this moment that you will receive a frame that will touch you in the future every time you look at it!