How to photograph your dog? 5 good tips for owners with a passion for photography

Photos of the beloved pet are a great souvenir, especially when the dog is no longer there. However, most owners have a problem with capturing their pet in the lens – it is known that dogs are mobile and it is difficult for them to maintain one position for several seconds (in the case of puppies it is almost impossible). Still, there are ways to take beautiful, thoughtful photos of your pet. How to photograph a dog? Explore 5 good tips.

1. Get down to the dog’s level – Pictures taken from above look much worse and look very amateurish, even casual. To capture your pet in the best possible position, sit on the floor so that the camera lens is perfectly at eye level with your dog. This is especially important if you intend to take a dog portrait.
2. Teach your dog the command „sit!” – if your dog can stay still after giving a command, your task is much easier and you can take a beautiful portrait of him. Remember to reward your pet with something tasty at the end of the session. Eventually it will also be useful to master the command „stay!”, which allows you to take pictures of your dog standing up.
3. Invest in the right equipment – if you want to take a beautiful photo of your dog on the run, then unfortunately a smartphone or even a compact camera is not enough. A camera with a fast response time of the sensor will be necessary – this will allow „freeze” dog in the picture. You will also need a long and bright lens, so that you can take pictures from a distance and with an appropriate background blur – such photos are particularly impressive.
4. Sharpen your dog’s eyes – if you make a portrait of your pet, always focus perfectly on the dog’s eyes. The photo will have a beautiful depth. A dog’s eyes are amazing and say a lot about the animal, so try not to focus on other elements like the nose or ears. It will be necessary to switch to manual focus. You will also be able to beautifully blur the background.
5. Paying attention – you will need the help of another person. Position yourself with the camera at an appropriate distance from the dog and ask your assistant to press the squeaky toy. The dog will immediately respond to this, raise his ears, tense muscles and straighten his back – in this position will look extremely dignified. This is a clever trick used by professional photographers, which you can successfully use at home.

Photographing a dog is not an easy task, mainly due to the mobility of the pet. By following our advice you will get really good results.