Ten Easy Tips for Dog Photography

The same way people portraiture requires imagination and inspiration to create something different, so does dog photography. Have you tried photographing dogs but wished you could have added something to make them stand out more? Phil Harris has created a short video to give you 10 quick and easy tips and tricks to achieve that.

In the video above, Harris demonstrates several easy and affordable hacks that you can implement not only in photographing dogs, but also in any other kind of social photography. When you're not shooting in a studio, where all the lights are perfectly set up, it's always handy to be aware of different things you can bring with you to add something unique to your images by using easily available materials and tools. 

A simple idea Harris demonstrates, that I hadn't thought of before, is to use your phone light to add a small and unobtrusive light source, which, if used correctly, will bring out dog's features without taking away the beauty of natural light. Not everyone has the access to a full studio lighting setup, so it's good to have a few tricks up your sleeve when you're shooting on a location and don't want to alarm the dog with overwhelming pieces of equipment. 

Harri's dog is a perfect model who stays still and calm throughout the demonstration, so perhaps that's the next tutorial waiting to be done! We all know that while our furry best friends might be adorable and photogenic, more often than not they will be more interested in playing with us than sitting around and waiting for their picture to be taken.

Have you ever given dog photography a go?

Anete Lusina's picture

Anete Lusina is a photographer based in West Yorkshire, UK. You'll either find her shooting weddings, documentary, or street photography across the U.K. and Europe, or perhaps doing the occasional conceptual shoot.

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14 Comments

Having a dog that's chill AF makes everything 10 times easier! :)

I don't sit still for manual.

I love that you posted about dog photography but this could have been about any subject without a single change. I didn't care much for any of the new ideas (I think I may have heard of using window light before. ;-) ) but that, of course, is subjective.
So, yeah... more dog photography tips but try to make them DOG photography tips. :-)

quite general and nothing new at all ?

Very nice photo!

thanks

thanks and yup its my dog :) Basenji :)

had a lot of pets in my life am 55 but finally found my dog breed love all dogs but these are very special to me now ;)

Wish all dogs stay still like this one.

I dunno if I'd call these tips hacks. A couple are gimmicky. But some customers like that, the way they liked the 80s laser and ghosty-face portraits.

I'd like to see some tips on photographing an active dogs. That'd be infinitely more useful to pet owners-nee-photographers.

General tips, but it's a lot easier to just shoot dogs that are well trained and stand still :)

A lucky few are just naturals in front of the camera!
http://www.philtographie.com/philtographie-portfolio/

Background is kinda odd looking. Was that done in post?

No, just a little saturation in post. It's full frame, 200mm, f2.8.
In what way did you think it looked odd?

The bokeh looks odd. Kinda like a heavy dose of the Orton effect. I suppose the focal length and aperture could account for it.