# Tips for Photographing your Dogs



## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

With the upcoming calendar deadline, I wanted to post some tips for photographing your dogs. 

Try to find a place with a non distracting background. Nothing too busy, like a lot of clutter in the background. 

Make sure you have ample light. Unless you actually have studio lights, I find natural light best as it doesn't have that red or green reflection in the dogs eyes which make them look like aliens. 

Have TREATS!!! 

If you have two people its usually better. One person can try to make the dogs sit or stay in place while you are with a camera. As soon as that person backs away from the dogs, you can snap away. I recommend a tripod. Then your hands ( or at least one) is ready to use squeaky toys, or treats while the other hand is taking the photo. 

Light... The middle of the day is bad outdoors. You never want light coming frrom directly overhead, the sun or room lights. Early morning or evening before the the sun goes down is perfect, and just choose a spot where the sun is coming down on them at an angle. OR what I do often is pick a shady spot ( make sure you dont have a lot of sun spots on the ground) and then they will have pretty catchlights from the open sky. 

Indoors just pretend the window is the sun and the light is coming through it onto them. You can typically do this at any time of day if the light is good. You dont want it to be too dark. 

If you have a DSLR camera, dont be scared to boost up your ISO. This is basically what film speed you used to pick when buying film. I shoot around 400 ISO. If I am trying to catch action I may go higher. 

A good way to catch action shots is to go outside and play. Put your camera on TV or T or S whatever is the shutter speed prioity. Either put your ISO on auto or up to 400-600. Put your shutter speed somewhere fast, over 1,000. Then throw a toy or bone acorss the yard, then snap away when Sparky brings it back. If this does not work, please see Teaching Your dog to Fetch. Just kidding, that doesnt exist. 

Make sure to get down on your dogs level and not shoot too far from above. Unless you are doing that on purpose for effect. 

Some ideas for pics: 
shredding! Our Havs love this and some closeups of them going to town would be cute. You could even take these outside. 

RLH.. action!

Just looking cute and smiling, we know the havs like to pose. 

Themes. Julie is the theme QUEEN! Get creative and use props. Sailor Sparky? 

Plant backgrounds are always pretty outside, dont forget that our dogs are small so you dont have to use huge backgrounds or props. 

Everyone PM Dawna and tell her to read this. She has a FANCY camera, a Photographer friend and we see NO PICS of Bunni Blu and Cru. Lets PROTEST!

Btw she drew these examples. I would never make our Havs look like mice.


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

Thanks for the tips Melissa.:hug:
ound: Love the props! Dawna! ound:


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Julie said:


> Thanks for the tips Melissa.:hug:
> ound: Love the props! Dawna! ound:


Ditto!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Uh, nice drawings Dawna! ound: 
(Glad to see you back!!)


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Dawna, dont you know what Havanese look like?! You need to practice your photoshop skills. ound:


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

> Btw she drew these examples. I would never make our Havs look like mice.


lmao when I reat that and looked at the pics I couldn't stop laughing for about 10min lol


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## moxie (Feb 6, 2008)

Your post is adorable, Melissa. Thank you for taking the time for all of this.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Thanks Melissa - that's so helpful.


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## Dawna (Aug 3, 2006)

What mice?! Those are perfect renditions of havanese. If Melissa hadn't told everyone they were drawings, you would naturally assume they are photographs of real havs!!


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Dawna said:


> What mice?! Those are perfect renditions of havanese. If Melissa hadn't told everyone they were drawings, you would naturally assume they are photographs of real havs!!


Using what type of camera????????:biggrin1:ound:ound:ound:


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*I just assumed they were wet havanese...*

I always say my dogs look like little wet rats or bears when they are wet!

Wow...now to remember all of this! And get them to look at me together without coming to me!


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## BeverlyA (Oct 29, 2006)

Does the size matter when we send it to you Melissa?

And no funny comments from the peanut section :suspicious:

Beverly


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## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

ound: Beverly! ound:


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Melissa- Thanks for the tips. I got out DH's real camera and played around with the dogs yesterday. These are the easy tips I really need. I don't ever remember which thing to hit on the camera and often can't go back and find the correct buttons. DH was so proud of me, he even showed me how to use the big flash and bounce it off the ceiling in the evening so I am getting super fancy. Now I just have to groom the dogs first and then do all these tips!

Here is an example of my normal mistake of putting dasher in the light. Here is an example of using the light better.


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Love the handsome in pink photo! "Big flashes" are great!


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Sally- if you know how to use them! I never did cause I put it on the dog and every photo was them squinting at me and I understood why! I just didn't realize you can still use that light! Maybe today we will do some playing outside when the grass dries!


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Oh, Dawna! ound: Thanks for the laugh ladies! ound: Thanks for the advice as well, Melissa. I have a point and shoot and soooooo wish I had an SLR, but sigh...... I can't get good action shots at all and the lighting is pathetic. But I keep trying!! :biggrin1:


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

ama0722 said:


> Sally- if you know how to use them! I never did cause I put it on the dog and every photo was them squinting at me and I understood why! I just didn't realize you can still use that light! Maybe today we will do some playing outside when the grass dries!


:whoo: I have one......my problem is I end up wishing I brought it with me. Just sometimes have to much to carry :frusty:


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

BeverlyA said:


> Does the size matter when we send it to you Melissa?
> 
> And no funny comments from the peanut section :suspicious:
> 
> Beverly


The bigger the better! And I am talking about the photos...


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Thats great Amanda! On that first photo had Dasher been facing the exact opposite, the light would have been gorgeous!!! See how soft and pretty it is. 

If yall have specific questions, just ask away.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Hate to say it-- but my tip for getting good pictures is to let DH take them.... LOL. And my dad was a professional photographer...but you know it's just like a chefs kids who gets hamburger helper. He never taught me to shoot.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Hey Melissa - I usually take my pictures on the highest resolution of JPG format, but yesterday I tried out the TIFF format and got much, much better clarity in my images. Granted, it slowed down my camera quite a bit and I had to wait several seconds between photos, but the detail was amazing in TIFF.

Edited to add: I forgot my question! So, is TIFF generally better quality or is this something specific to my camera? Do you recommend shooting in a specific format?


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## havjump (Apr 18, 2007)

Melissa, Thanks for the tips and thanks for ALL your hard work for a terrific charity!!.
How many photos are we allowed to submit?[/COLOR]


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Missy said:


> Hate to say it-- but my tip for getting good pictures is to let DH take them.... LOL. And my dad was a professional photographer...but you know it's just like a chefs kids who gets hamburger helper. He never taught me to shoot.


So you won't be borrowing it-- I borrowed a friends once and was hooked. Had to get my own DSLR


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Tiff is good but it creates a much larger file. You do have more detail, but a lot of times its not very noticable. Jpeg is normally just as good in a quality camera. 

I shoot Raw so I have to process them with separate software.


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## Melissa Miller (Aug 2, 2006)

Send in as many pics as you want!


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Okay I have a question, what are some basic things I can do to capture fast images... all my images of Dash running or doing anything is a black and white blurr?


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## mintchip (Apr 19, 2007)

Amanda try focusing on the area you think he is going to run by and keep snapping!!!!


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