12.03.09
Take brilliant pictures of dogs
Words by Natalie Kinnear
For many of us, dogs are very much a part of our family. We love them, take care of them and pet them. We photograph all the other members of our family so why not them too?
The first rule when photographing your dog is to ensure he is safe. It is also advisable to familiarise your dog with your equipment. Make sure he is used to seeing a camera, especially one that is pointing straight at him, as some dogs may find this confrontational.
Having an assistant is extremely helpful. Ask a willing offspring, partner or friend, to keep your dog under control and get him to look in the right direction, whilst you concentrate on getting the shot. A supply of dog treats and a few favourite toys, such as a ball if you’re after an action shot, or a squeaky toy for grabbing attention, will come in useful.
You’ll need a background as clutter free as possible so as not to cause a distraction from your subject. I sometimes use a mottled backdrop, which I simply drape over a chair. But you could just as easily use a piece of material or a sheet. Also, rather than just photographing downwards from a standing position, try getting down to the dog’s eye level for a more engaging image.
Choose a time when you know your dog is most likely to be in the right mood for the image you would like to achieve. For example, an action shot would be best done on a walk when your dog is full of energy. A calm portrait, on the other hand, will be more easily achieved when he’s relatively tired. If your dog is, for any reason, totally uncooperative, then just stop and choose a more appropriate time in order to avoid frustration and upset.
The focus of your shot needs to be the dog’s eyes. I find this easiest using autofocus. I select the centre point of my camera’s nine focusing points, and focus on one of the dog’s eyes. Then, utilising focus lock, I quickly recompose before taking my shot. Another important consideration is which f/number to use in order to ensure that as well as the eyes, the tip of the nose is also in focus. Of course, this varies from breed to breed, depending on the distance between the eyes and the tip of the nose. I have found f/8 on my 70-200mm comfortably gives me the focus I need while also blurring the background so that it is not too distracting.
Shutter speed will depend on the type of shot you are after. If you are taking a shot of your dog playing or running and want to totally freeze the action you will need a fast shutter speed such as 1/500sec. For an action shot with an element of blur to give the feeling of movement, such as a panned shot, you will need a much slower shutter speed, say 1/60sec. A shutter speed of 1/100sec would be suitable for a handheld still portrait. With slower speeds, you’ll need a tripod.
During these winter months, lack of light is frequently a challenge. One way to overcome this is to increase the ISO. For indoor shots, or outside on particularly dull days, I frequently shoot with an ISO of 1600. When using such a high ISO it is advisable to utilise your camera’s noise reduction facility if it has one. Alternatively, you can reduce the noise post-capture using software such as Noise Ninja. Using flash aimed directly at your dog is best avoided as this will cause green-eye – the animal equivalent to red-eye. If you have to use flash, try bouncing or diffusing it.
An indoor shot utilising window light can be improved by placing a reflector on the opposite side to your light source. This will reflect light back into the shadows, lowering contrast and increasing detail.
For a really creative effect, try using a wide-angle lens at its widest end. This achieves what’s known as the parallax effect, where the part of the dog nearest to the camera looms huge and the part furthest away becomes disproportionately small. Or, if you have a lens with a macro facility, try focusing on just the nose or paw for a more abstract image. And remember, a photo, which sums up your dog’s personality, is likely to be more appreciated than something out of character.
FILL IN FLASH
This handy technique uses flash to reduce contrast and throw extra light into shadowed areas to show more detail. It can also add attractive catchlights to the eyes.
Compared to using flash as a main light source, fill-in flash will emit a considerably reduced amount of light. My DSLR has a fill-in flash default setting for most shooting modes. This means that when I use ETTL flash, the calculation that is necessary to reduce the amount of light emitted from the flashgun, is done automatically. Most DSLRs offer something similar so check out your camera’s user guide.
KIT BAG
I use a full-frame 12.8-megapixel Canon EOS 5D, and the lens I use the most for photographing dogs is the Canon 70-200mm f/4 L USM telephoto zoom. This particular focal range is extremely useful for the job. I do, however, also use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens and, for the wide-angle quirky shots, the Canon 17-40mm f/4 USM lens. Because of the risk of dog slobber, I protect my lenses with skylight filters. Much easier to clean!
I don’t often use my tripod for dog photography; instead I support the camera on a chair, bed or pillow when the need arises. I also have a Canon 550EX flashgun, although I personally rarely use flash for photographing dogs, and a couple of Lastolite reflectors. For backgrounds, I’ve a mottled backdrop, plus a collection of lengths of material, which come in very handy. And, of course, my kit wouldn’t be complete without a supply of dog toys, treats and a good sense of humour!
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