Actually I’m talking about dogs.

I’ve taken images of dogs for years but lately it seems they have become a larger part of my repertoire.

My favorite dog portrait is of my dog, Spike.I admit to being a little bias on this one. Recently, I’ve had the pleasure to meet and photograph many dogs and occasionally their owners.

Following are a few tips for capturing better outdoor dog portraits:

1. Outside available light, that is without flash works best. The flash from your camera may startle, look unnatural or take too long to recharge. If  it’s an overcast day (this is Seattle after all), run the iso up to 400 or 800. Shoot at 1/60 second or higher.
2. Get down on the dogs level. Although an occasional shot of the dog looking up at you is cute, getting down may be more rewarding.
3. Choose your time wisely. If you are looking for frisky, “catch the ball” shots, work with your pooch before he/she is exercised. If a more relaxed image is desired, work her out, let her rest, and then bring on the camera.
4. Really pay attention to the surrounding. Try to have an uncluttered background . If you are shooting in color, try analogous colors.
5. Get up close and personal with pooch.
6. Use a “shallow depth of field” and a shorter focal length. Try 50-70mm @ f5.0-8.0 from 2-3 feet away. Try for the  background going out of focus leaving eyes and snout in focus.
7. Have a few key words to perk up the dog. I always ask what word excites the dog. Usually it’s something like: “park”, “walk”, “treat”. Be camera ready say the word, ears perk up and “bam”a great shot.
8. Have treats available but each time give him a very small taste.
9. Work in pairs. One person is working the camera; the other just behind or to the side coaxing your pet to look in the direction of the lens (refer to tip # 7 and #8)
10. Finally take a lot of pictures and have fun! Let the dog play; let yourself play.

Try these and let me know how they work out. Send me a few of your best dog pictures and  I will post some  in a future blog.

Have a great time with your dog.