Photographer's Best Friend: tips for successful dog photography

Way back in my introductory post, I mentioned one of my favorite subjects: dogs. Animals in general offer images of playfulness, gentleness, and unguarded enthusiasm that is hard to find in humans! For me, shooting dogs (with a camera!) is a way to give back by helping showcase adoptable dogs for a local rescue. It is also a blast to incorporate animal companions in family images. There are a few things to keep in mind that make a huge difference in capturing successful images of dogs in any situation.

1. Make ridiculous sounds. If you want to get that cock-eyed, inquisitive head tilt with eyes looking at the lens, you're probably going to have to make a fool of yourself. The sounds I make vary from a high-pitched trilling to a rather spot-on duck quack, if I do say so myself. Whistling, smooching, and yelping have all come in handy.

Patrick's portrait for Peace for Pits, Inc. dog rescue.

2. Bribe, bribe, bribe. Few things get a dog's attention like a tasty treat or squeaky toy. Bring a few along or have the handler do so and hold them behind your head to get a great portrait.

3. Shoot in shutter priority. While manual mode is my go-to in most situations, a fast-moving dog in mixed lighting calls for continuous focus and shutter priority to keep those eyes in sharp focus! Just be sure to recalibrate your settings when going from dark to light or vice versa.

4. Get low. Once you've got that perfect portrait, get down at the dog's level, or even lower, for a more playful perspective.

Patrick, taken while flat on the grass!

Have any tips for mastering a dog (or other furry friend) session? Leave a comment or head over to the Google+ community page to share!

-Friday Ambassador