Tips for Dog Photography
Anyone who has a camera and a dog likely has a small collection of dog photographs. Dogs are our companions – sharing the good times and the bad – and it should come as no surprise that they are often the subject of our photographs.
Photo credit: James Smedley Outdoors
Dogs have a habit of situating themselves so we have no choice but to take their picture. Like when they line up patiently waiting for a picnic lunch to be served.
Photo credit: James Smedley Outdoors
Sometimes dogs simply put themselves in pictures when we least expect it. I was photographing a couple relaxing on the warm granite when I was photo-bombed by a speeding canine. When dealing with a high-energy speedster like Simpkin, fast shutter speeds are required to freeze the action. Obviously, 1/160th of a second was not fast enough.
Photo credit: James Smedley Outdoors
What better companion when outdoors than a dog? The sheer joy they exhibit when running around in the woods is a lesson to us all to enjoy the simple things in life. I think 1/800th of a second shutter speed did a better job of freezing the action.
Photo credit: James Smedley Outdoors
Dog tired. It’s hard to anticipate how an animal will move. Just when they are perfectly positioned, and we are about to press the shutter, they move. This is why shooting a sleeping dog is so tempting.
About James Smedley
Professional photographer and writer James Smedley’s contributions - more than 400 written pieces and close to 1,000 images - to U.S. and Canadian books, magazines and newspapers have earned him over 40 National and International awards. In addition to teaching photography workshops, James is Travel Editor at Ontario OUT OF DOORS Magazine. James has fly fished for brook trout and arctic grayling in far northern rivers and continues to cast for trout, bass and steelhead near his home in the northern Ontario town of Wawa where he lives with his wife Francine and daughters Islay and Lillian.
