Photographing Your Dog
By PCF Eagle

A picture is worth a thousand words. Truer words were never spoken. To see the youthful mischief in the eye of your puppy or the time-earned love of your nine-year-old can last a lifetime. As I type these words, I gaze occasionally at my monitor and see the pictures of my own dogs, taped carefully so that they are always within my view.

Photographing your dog is much easier to do if you plan for the occasion. We will talk mainly about the "posed" picture in this article. Posing a dog takes great patience. It's most easily done if you can eliminate as many distractions as possible. Make sure to work in an area that is comfortable for both you and your dog. Indoors presents an easier to control environment while outdoors contains many distractions that are uncontrollable.

If you choose outdoors, try to find a secluded spot. Background is important -- but remember, you are trying to take a picture of the dog, not the scenery. Try to find a spot that has light shade and will not make the dog squint or have shadows cast on the subject. Also try to find an area that has contrasting colors to your dog's coat colors. Nothing is worse than a subject that fades into the background around the edges like a red brindle dog lying in a pile of autumn leaves. If you find that your background is either distracting or too rural, try laying on the ground at your dog's eye level. The different perspective can help eliminate any visual distractions that may be in the way. Also, if you have a camera that is more than just a point and shoot type, close the lens aperture a bit and increase the exposure. If not, move closer to your subject. Both of these techniques will help blur out the background a bit (called depth of field). A final point on outdoor pictures -- Do not under any circumstances allow your dog to be without their leash in the interest of a "better" picture unless you are in an enclosed area. If your dog will not stay put without someone holding them in place, add a human to the picture. The human can position themselves just behind the dog and can hold the leash mostly out of view for the picture. Show dogs that are photographed outdoors are always wearing a leash and so should your pet.

If you choose indoor pictures, lighting and glass are the two biggest problems. Indoor lighting and most photographic films are not color balanced to give a true representation of the live subject. Most films have a yellowish cast if supplemental light (such as a flash) is not used. One way to light a room and not use a flash is with a strong video camera light. If you shine the light on the subject, do it from slightly above the camera. Be cautious if you bounce the light off of the wall or ceiling as the light can pickup the color of the wall or ceiling. Remember that the light angle must be similar, but not the same, as the angle from your camera to your subject. When the angles are the same, you will usually get redeye. Redeye is when the light and camera follow the same angle and the blood vessels in the back of the eye are seen by the camera, thus producing a "red" eye. Too different of an angle will produce shadows. Beware of picture frame glass as well as glass beaded lamps, windows and television sets. They will all provide glare which is avoidable if you plan.

Now that you have mastered the controllable items of your photo shoot, it is time to pose your dog for his moment of glory. Here is what I saw one professional photographer do which worked wonders. He had his assistant hold the dog's leash in such a manner that the leash ran behind the dog along the side of his body. The assistant sat out of the picture and behind the dog. The photographer then used several toys to draw the dog's attention to where he wanted the dog looking for the final shot. Each dog, in turn, did exactly what the photographer wanted and in seven shots, we had five excellent quality pictures. The point here is that the person photographing the dogs must be the one to attract and keep their attention, usually with either sound or motion. If the person holding the leash is trying to control the dog and get the dog to look at the camera, generally neither will be accomplished! Again, keeping distractions to a minimum is the key here.

A quick word here about camera angles. Never shoot up at your dog unless you are making a monster movie. Shooting down at your dog will make them look distorted as well. Try to keep the camera at or near the dog's eye level. The further you are from the subject, the more you can raise the camera since the distance makes up for the angle. This will give a natural look to the picture and to the dog.

After all of this hard work, probably the best picture you will ever take will be the one with the disposable camera that you keep in the end table drawer. You know, the one where the dog has fallen asleep with your husband on the couch and they are both on their backs with their mouths open? Keep that camera close by as photo opportunities happen when you least expect them.

Finally, if the perfect picture doesn't happen when you pose it, try again another day. It is very difficult to catch subject, photographer and camera equipment all in good working order and all at the same time. My motto is "Film is cheap!" For some good examples of beloved pet photos, drop by the DogHobbyist.com Photo Gallery and our message boards. There are many good examples of pet photos. After you have created your own masterpieces, feel free to stop in and upload them for the world to see. Good luck!