You know how it goes, even though your fur baby is the cutest dog in the whole world, you can't seem to get a good pic of them for Instagram. It's always grainy or blurry or they aren't even looking at the camera! Don't worry here are 8 tips for taking amazing photos of your dog that anyone can do (and most of these will also work for other animals and babies - bonus!)
GET OUT
Start by taking your dog to somewhere they love, this could be a beach or the park or anywhere where they can run around and have some fun. Bonus points if it's also scenic. Getting your dog out of the house and outside will help with the quality of your lighting (which will reduce blurriness and grain) and it will also give you a chance to get some action shots of your dog doing what they love.
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
It might be tempting to take them out on the nicest, sunniest day that's available to you but if you want to take this photo shoot seriously, you'll need to schedule it for an overcast day. This reduces contrast between light and shade and it will be a whole lot easier to get a shot of your dog with a lovely background that isn't just a bright white mess. If a sunny day is the only time you can get out then just try and stick to shady areas like under trees.
GOOD DOG
Taking photos of your dog is so much easier if they know how to sit and stay. You want them to stay as still as possible to reduce blurriness and if they can stay in one place for a while then it helps you get multiple shots (which is the key to success - take as many pictures as you can, you can delete the bad ones when you get home). If your dog has quite grasped the concept of staying then have a few practice sessions at home first.
TONGUES OUT
This one may come down to personal preference but dogs seem a whole lot more photogenic when they're a little over heated and their tongue's hanging out. Let them have a run around to burn off some energy and warm up a little so when it comes to taking photos they are a little calmer and their tongues out which makes them look much happier than normal.
BRIBERY
Bring your dog's favourite treat to ensure they will listen and (hopefully) do as they're told. Dogs have a lot more patience for photo shoots if they think they might get some chicken.
BRIBERY AGAIN
If your dog isn't as food orientated then bring their favourite toy to bribe them with. A ball is a great way to get them looking into the camera, just hold the ball right above your phone and as the dog looks at the ball, it will look like they're looking right into the camera.
ACTION MAN
Go into your phone settings and set your phone to either bust mode or action mode. This enables you to take a series of photos fast, which is super helpful if your dog is moving around a lot. Try getting a burst of your dog catching a ball mid air, or jumping into a pile of leaves.
BE PATIENT
You may not get the exact photo you want the first time you try, that's ok. You can practice taking photos of your dog while you're out for your regular walk and once you're confident you can bring them somewhere scenic to get some fantastic pictures. Dogs have a fairly short attention span and won't want to sit and stay all day while you take a million pictures of them. Let them play for ten minutes then spend five minutes taking photos then let them play again. A camera shy pup will soon get used to it (especially if there's chicken involved!)
So those are my tips for taking amazing photos of your dog, but if you still can't quite get the hang of it, you can always hire us to do it for you. We even have a portable black screen and white screen which we can use to really make your dogs colouring pop. Remember practice makes perfect so get out there and start taking photos.
If you're interested in us providing you with some amazing photos of your dog (or any other pet for that matter) click here https://www.mediamelt.co.nz/pet-photography
Media Melt is a Video Production Company based in Dunedin, New Zealand. If you have any enquires, feel free to contact us here