I’m sharing 7 tips for better dog photos today. Mom is never 100% happy with our photos, but so many people are amazed by how my sisters and I model for the camera. I think we must be doing things right, no matter what Mom says. I’m not a real photographer, just a hobby photographer, but let me share some tips to help you improve your own dog photos. We learn by doing, and it has worked pretty well so far.
7 Tips For Better Dog Photos
1. What are your goals?
What are your goals in photographing your dog. Are you doing it for fun, for social media, do you want others to admire your photos, are you interested in photo quality? By determining your goals, it will help you decide how much money and time you should invest on photography. If you aren’t picky and don’t want to invest in a camera, then you will have to be happy with what your phone can do. For us, phone photos simply lack the quality we prefer, but we do snap phone photos now and then.
2. Get the right equipment!
My photographer has loved taking photos of pets since she was a little girl. The invention of digital cameras has been a life changer for her since there is no film, and no developing. Photography is a real hobby, and a big part of my blogging empire, which is why we elected to ditch the point and shoot camera, and purchase a DSLR in 2011. In 2015, we upgraded to an even better DSLR because for us, it is a good investment. My photographer also has several lenses she can use for different types of photos. It is important for us to have good photos for not only our friends and fans, but brands we work with. No brand wants to work with a dog who has lousy photos of their product!
3. Learn to use your camera!
When we purchased our first DSLR, it came with three free classes. My photographer had never even heard of manual mode, so these three classes were a necessity! If you have no desire to learn to use manual mode, why bother spending money on a DSLR? A point and shoot will give you about the same results as a fancy camera in automatic. Because manual mode is tough in the beginning, my photographer started out taking baby steps. She started using some of the settings which allowed her to only set the shutter speed, aperture, or ISO and let the camera do the rest.
With practice, she started to take shots in full manual, but was often disappointed. It took about two years before we were using manual mode exclusively. Some people might figure it out faster, but that was our progression. Now we don’t even know how to turn on automatic mode on our camera. Trust me! If you really want to be a good photographer, you need a nice DSLR, and you need to use manual mode.
Don’t forget to purchase some lenses to help you achieve your photography goals! Learning to use different lenses is a lot of fun, and can really make for some super photos you wouldn’t get from a basic lens.
4. Make sure you have lots of patience!
I’m sure some talented folks out there will get the hang of the camera, and have perfect pets, creating great photos almost immediately, but most of us need lots of practice and patience. In the beginning you may have 90% blurry, lousy, shots, but the percentage will improve with practice. Remember your dog(s) also need to learn to be models and you need to have patience with them as well.
5. Start with one dog!
Most dogs are like young children with ants in their pants. Dogs don’t sit perfectly still and say cheese, they are usually on the move. Save yourself the frustration, and start working on photographing one dog. Once you find your settings, and your dog is starting to understand what is expected, add in a second, then a third, and so on.
I think one of the biggest complaints I hear from people trying to take dog photos is blurry action shots. If you learn to use your camera in manual mode, you will be able to capture clear, crisp action shots without a problem!
6. Forget the flash!
I can’t remember the last time we saw the camera flash! Flash is often a perfect way to ruin a good photo. Yes, for some photos it is a must, but then you need to learn to use a flash properly, which would be a whole separate post. We work with natural light as much as possible. Even taking photographs inside works well with natural light, or enough lights on in the house, if you have the right settings. Say good bye to the red eyes, shadows, and other problems associated with using a flash.
7. Most important – make it fun!
At our house, if we hear photo shoot, we come running. Madison is obsessed! If Mom picks up the camera, Madison follows her around waiting to model. We know it is work, but it is fun, and we are rewarded. Get your dog excited to sit for you. Praise them like crazy when they do a good job. Use treats to direct their focus, and to reward after a good photo session. Modeling is another form of obedience or trick, and is treated as such at our house. We have also learned if we do it right, we are done faster, and get our reward faster too!
Create some commands for your shoots to help your dog. “Hold”is one of our best commands, and we only use it with photos. Our photographer positions us, and gives the “hold” command which means don’t move. We hold position until released. If attention is lacking, she might blurt out “SQUIRREL” to get us to look, but we know not to get up and move, only look.
Cats are a bit more difficult to photograph than dogs, but cat bro Bert does a good job modeling, most of the time in exchange for catnip or treats.
There are so many pieces that go into great dog photos! These seven tips are just the tip of the iceberg, but they will get you thinking, and on the right track.
Good luck, and happy shooting!
Pawsome advice, Emma!!! Ask your mom if I can use the first photo of you in today’s blog for our Dog museum Meet the Breed photo board
The one of me holding the camera in my paws while I’m lying down? I’ll have Mom send the high res version to you.
oh that is a fabulous tutorial Emma… we stick with #2 and we look for the equipment we need…. and then I will become ansel adams with yout tips ;O))
The right equipment does make a big difference.
Your photos are always amazing! I am also amazed at the props – hats, glasses, etc. That’s great that you all coming running for photo shoots. Ruby tolerates (and can be bribed with treats) photo shoots but they aren’t her favorite thing in the world.
When I upgraded to a DSLR a few years ago, I also took a three part class and it really made all the difference in the world. It was a small class so there was lots of one-on-one instruction based on each student’s photography goals.
We all just love getting photos taken which really helps. Those classes were the best thing ever. I don’t think we would be at where we are now if my photographer had not taken them.
LOL, i LOVE that outfit! Good tips, too.
Thank you. I’m a French Scent Hound dressing the part of a French artistic hound.
Very snazzy!
Great tips. You also start early, and I think that makes a big difference too. I started photographing Torrey as soon as we brought her home, and she is a wonderful model. Roxy is more interested if there are treats involved, but she is a good model too. And 100% yes, don’t spend the money on an expensive camera and never learn how to use it.
Starting early does help, but I love it and started later. We know lots of people with big fancy cameras and equipment who only know how to shoot with automatic. Such a shame.
Great tips! Your photos are always most wonderful!!!
Thank you.
These are really great tips. I had come to rely too much on the auto settings, even though in the past I never would have dreamed of it! I used to be big into photography, then got away from it, and feel like I needed to learn everything all over again (and it’s not as easy now as it was when I was 18!). I am making slow progress, but still have a lot to work on.
Mom started late in life too, but she took her time and still keeps working on it. Photography is a fun hobby to have. It’s inexpensive too, now with digital photos.
great tips but I think for me, the BEST tip is to get a different dog BOL……………………….can’t afford a fancy camera so for me, things will just have to stay the way they are, but your photos and tips are superb!
Heavens, I hope Dakota doesn’t see this comment. Like I said, everyone has their goals, priorities, and has to work within their budget. Maybe a used DSLR some day?
Great tips Emma!!! We also love our photo session time and sometimes Mama is amazed at how well we do in a photo sessions(It’s those super nommy Zuke’s that help us focus)!
xoxo,
Jakey, Arty & Rosy
Getting paid for hard work is important!
Bentley is not a fan of the camera but Pierre will pose if we can get him to sit still. LOL! I’m lucky that Skipper loves to take our photos.
You are lucky to have a great photographer on staff. Mom often wishes she had one for taking photos on walks, or dog school, and sports. She can’t take photos if she is working which limits things.
I don’t blog on a regular basis, and I don’t have the funds for a DSLR, so I’ll stick with my little point-n-shoot and my phone’s camera. But I definitely agree that if a person is going to buy an expensive camera, they should learn how to use its many manual features.
It has to be something you really want to invest money and time into. My photographer really loves it. We bring our camera to all our sports events. Mom likes to take stupid photos as it relaxes us both since it is something we always do.
You know that we’re with you on these hints 🙂 I just saw a photo of a pair of dogs taken with an “off camera” flash. It looks fabulous. The flash was needed because a sunset was going on behind the dogs. The flash made the dogs bright enough while keeping the great light of the sunset behind them. I’m going to learn how to do that!
Flash can really be a great tool, but it has to be used correctly and that is a whole different story. We haven’t taken the time to do much with flash yet. With photography, there are always fun new things to learn.
Great tips, I still have problems taking photos with my dslr in low light.
With the first DSLR we got good shots, not grainy up to 800 ISO. With the new one 1250 is still wonderful, but if need be, 1600 can be used. Using a smaller aperature also helps with our dark photos. It really takes a lot of testing and playing around to find the right combination for what you are shooting.
And practice makes pawfect too, Emma. Lots and lots of it. For every good photo, you can figure there were dozens if not a 100 in the not-so-good category. Thank goodness for digital!
These days we only need a few shots because we know what to do, but still it is nice to not pay and wait for developing!
Wagnificient advice!
3 bum swings! 3 more! 💜
Nose nudges,
CEO Olivia