Perfect pups: Dog photography 101 (part one)

Dogs are the heartbeats at our feet and their wagging tails are always there to greet us after a hard day at work, so it’s only right that they deserve a bit of time in front of the lens.

Every dog deserves a portrait to be proud of and, taking the time to learn a few techniques will help you improve your photos of your four-legged friend.

Maybe you’ve tried to take some photos of your dog and have been disappointed by the results or maybe you’re gearing up for your first attempts?

Whatever the situation, this feature should arm you with all the information you’ll need to level up your dog photography game. We’ll suggest some pro tips and also discuss which equipment could make the difference out in the field.

Of course, like capturing photos of humans, the golden rule is to only take photos when your dog is relaxed and happy. No photo is ever worth stressing out your pet or risking their safety.

Good dog owners know exactly what we’re talking about and know the best photos come when your dog is comfortable and happy.

Gear up for a great photo

Let’s start by talking about kit. Whether you’re using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, the principles are the same. We’re aiming to get well composed images that are properly exposed and in sharp focus.

Today’s cameras are highly advanced - even entry level models have advanced autofocus so there should be no barriers to capturing impressive photos. However, there are a few components that will increase your chances of bagging next level frames.

First up is a fast lens - this is an optic that offers a fast maximum aperture of f/2.8 or even faster like f/1.8.

These lenses allow more light to the sensor, thus allowing an increased shutter speed - particularly useful in low light conditions where shutter speeds can fall and introduce blur into the frame.

A fast aperture also allows for a shallow depth of field, giving the image a more professional feel.

Not all dog photography accessories include camera bodies and lenses however and one essential item should be a squeaky toy. Position it above the lens and squeeze to attract the dog’s attention to ensure eye contact with the lens and therefore the viewer of the photo.

Dog treats to be dished out after a series of photos reinforce that your pet is doing the right thing by posing for a photo and a lens cloth can come in useful should your furry friend get too close and lick the front element of the lens.

The eyes say it all

Every dog has its own brilliant personality and one of the best ways to illustrate this is to capture an image with direct eye contact.

Now, we’re not saying that images without eye contact are bad or inferior and photography is all about experimenting and breaking the rules.

Using a squeaky toy to attract attention and capture direct eye contact will elevate your images immeasurably.

Make sure you are set to single point focus mode and if you are using a shallow depth of field, take extra care to make sure you are focused on the eye, not a nose or ear for example.

An aperture setting of f/2.8 or faster will blur the background, helping your subject stand out in the frame ever further but do take a moment to make sure the background is fairly clean and not cluttered as this could cause distraction.

Make the most of every pixel

In today’s world of digital photography, everyone has access to powerful image-editing software that can help transform the look and feel of a frame from quite a bland looking photo to something altogether more special.

The first step to making the most of each pixel is to stop shooting in JPEG file format. Instead, change your settings to shoot RAW, which as the name suggests captures raw tonal data that you can then use to make more advanced editing adjustments.

From revealing details in the shadows or reducing the highlights in a scene, RAW files can be edited in software such as Adobe Lightroom or Affinity Photo.

This is your chance to put your own digital ‘signature’ onto your photo by choosing parameters such as Saturation levels or how much Clarity features in your frame.

One of the great things about Lightroom is that once you’ve developed a style you like, you can create Presets so that you can add these settings to images in the future, saving you time and bringing a uniform styling to your frames.

Capture the motion

Dogs weren’t built to stay still for long and capturing your pet in full flow can play a big part in showing their real character. But to successfully capture motion, some tweaks to your settings will be necessary.

First up, switch to continuous autofocus (AI Servo on Canon, AF-C on other brands) to track your subject as they move. Maximise your chances of bagging a great image by adjusting the drive settings to Burst mode - this way your camera will fire off multiple images instead of one at a time.

There's more to look at too however as these days most cameras have Subject Detection modes which can identify and lock on to dedicated subjects such as humans or in this case, dogs.

To keep your subject sharp, make sure your shutter speed matches or exceeds your focal length - so if you’re using a telezoom and have a focal length of 200mm then make sure your shutter speed is at least 1/200sec or even faster.

Of course, there will be times when you want to slow down your shutter speeds for creative effect. Panning is a technique where you move from left to right (or vice versa) tracking your subject's movement and combine this with a slower shutter speed.

The aim is to keep the subject sharp while introducing movement in the background to enhance the sense of speed and motion.

Look out for part two next week.