Taking Professional-Looking Photos Of Your Dog

The average person takes 20 photos a day on their smartphone or camera. When you have a dog, the likelihood is that lots of your pictures are going to be of your beloved canine companion. Taking photos of your dog isn’t always easy though, especially if they are on the move a lot, like those lively young puppies and many of the smaller breeds such as terriers. Portraits can also be tricky, particularly if your dog is completely black, so it's important to get a contrasting background. With the right lenses and smartphone settings, however, you can get some really professional-looking photos of your dog that you will want to hang on your wall at home. 

Using a wide-angle lens

If you are taking photos using a digital camera, then the essential camera kit for professional photos should include a wide-angle lens. This can be used to give your photos a much wider perspective. They come in either a prime or zoom version. Prime wide-angle lenses are generally cheaper, but have a fixed focal point, meaning you will need to physically move to change your field of view. A zoom version has a variable focal length - perfect if your dog is out running, or constantly on the move. A wide-angle lens can be used to really give your photos an interesting perspective and to easily incorporate the scenery and background into your photographs. 

Portrait tips

Taking a successful portrait of your dog is all about capturing their personality. Of course, concentrating on the eyes always helps, but it would help you to use different stimuli so that your dog reacts while you're taking photos. You could use your dog’s favorite squeaky toy to focus their attention in different directions or use a treat to get your dog to look straight at you (a little cheese can go a long way). If you have a dark-colored dog, then try placing a light background behind them so that they stand out. If you have a white dog, use a black background. You don’t have to buy a specially made backdrop for portraits - some fabric or toweling is perfect for a simple portrait background. 

Using burst mode

Capturing your dog while they're in motion is one of the hardest things to do. Those shots of them catching the ball or jumping into the lake for a swim can easily go out of focus. Using burst mode on a smartphone can help you to get lots of spontaneous images, all within a short time frame. You will find that these images will all capture something different in terms of angles. You will also find that your dog’s facial expressions are different in each shot, especially if they are running. 

You don’t need an expensive camera set up to take professional-looking photos of your dog. Just make sure that you focus on capturing their wonderful personality, and you can get some pictures that you will be proud to put on your wall.