Hints on Photographing Dogs

Courtesy of:
Kids & Critters Photography
Jan Haderlie, Photographer
at http://www.dogpatch.org/doginfo/takepics.html

For those who are interested here are a few suggestions I have found useful in getting good photos of your dogs.
I shoot outside in the early morning hours or late afternoon hours. The actual time will vary depending on the time of year and your latitude. You are aiming for the time when the sun is low enough on the horizon to not create shadows in the ears. In S. CA that is no later than 10am and no earlier than 3pm in the late spring, summer and early fall. In the early spring, late fall and winter the sun is much lower on the hoizon and you can shoot much closer to noon.
A slightly overcast day is the best lighting. It reduces the contast between the blacks and whites and allows more detail to be recorded on the film. The sun lower in the sky also helps to reduce the contrast.
I use Kodak Pro 400 MC in my medium format camera. It is a wonderful film for shooting dogs as it is a medium contrast film but is too grainy for 35mm use. I have used Kodak gold before Kodak started making the Pro 400 and liked it very much. It is available in 100 and 200 ASA and would be the best choice when using a 35mm camera.
A tripod is essential especially with a 35mm camera. You need the camera to be as still as possible for the maximum sharpness. A shutter release cord is nice to help ensure the camera does not shake as you press down on the shutter.
With a 35mm camera the lens should be about a 90mm for body shots and about 70-75mm for head shots. I leave background around the dogs so that if I have to straighten the dog when printing I have enough background to do that. The ideal print will have 1" to 1 1/2" of backgound between the dog and the print edge. A 35mm negative is much wider proportionally than an 8x10 is wide so if you concentrate on the top and bottom space the side to side will be fine.
I usually shoot at f11 and go down to f8 if needed. Much lower than that and you wind up with the dog out of focus at one end or the other. I do not use a flash.
A 3/4 view of the body is flattering for most dogs but do not get locked into only doing one view. Experiment and work with each dog to find the best angle. Remember to turn the dog to the non show side, it might be the best. You need at least one other person to manage the dog and some noise source. I have a recorder with various sounds that helps but a second helper is the best who can hold the noise source or be the noise source. This can get very silly and is not for the inhibited.
You need to get at dog level when photographing. This usually means sitting on the ground so bring something to sit on in case of snow, mud, or any other unmentionables you might encounter on the ground. Because I am moving to get the best angle of the dog I usually end up off the ground cover and covered with muck. A hazard I can not avoid.
The background should be at least 10 feet away from the dog. A park with trees and hills far away is my preference. Be careful that the grass is not too long. Also try to avoid the tree out of the head.
The keyword in doing animal photography is PATIENCE, PATIENCE. I have photographed dogs that only allow you to take one photo at a time and then the camera noise makes them move. The dog has all the control so getting impatient is not the answer. With enough time and film you can get good photos of your dogs. Good luck.

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