taking pictures

I bet we all love taking pictures of our cute dogs. I wish it could be easier though. Whenever I want to take a picture of my Homer, he either runs away, attack the camera or starts licking himself which makes him not very photogenic Do you have any tips for me? How do you encourage your dogs to pose? I've seen so many lovely pictures already when the dog is looking directly into the camera, it makes me jealous

 

I have had at times taken photos of Mishka and needed to keep taking them to get that shot that really shows her well. Digital cameras have made it easier so I suggest to keep on clicking away.
Have the camera handy to take a photo at a moments notice.
Have dog treats in your pocket to slow him down.
This one of Mishka was too easy. She was asleep.

 

I think taking pictures of dogs would require as much luck and patience as, say, taking pictures of babies. Like argon said, digital cameras make it much easier. We can simply click away, then delete all the ones which we don't want. If we were to use film cameras, that would be a very expensive thing to do.

 

Many digital cameras have the option to shoot a succession of shots by just holding down the shutter button. That's probably the easiest way to get a good shot. I would usually put the camera on a tripod, compose the shot in a general sense, then hold the shutter button down with one hand and mesmerize them with a treat in the other hand. Also, when composing the shot, pull the camera back from your dog a bit, so if he moves around he's not out of the frame. You can always crop it a bit later.

Personally, I prefer to use the cameras manual controls vs. it's auto modes, especially since I don't want the flash popping up in most shots. It helps to set your camera in advance for the lighting conditions of that day, so you can pull it out on a moments notice and get the shot without having to fumble around with it too much.

Also, try and pay attention for moments when your dog is relaxed and just chilling. It's easy to discreetly snag some shots without getting them too worked up.

 

We had the same problem with the original Buddy. He didn't like to have his picture taken, every time we got a camera he would run away. So when he died, it was like we weren't sure we had any photos of him the way we did of Rocky. My sister, could find only two one was of him sleeping, which was probably the only way to get a photo of him. But she did also find a photo of him looking directly in the direction of the camera, she thinks she got that photo because my brother (whom Buddy was very close to) was standing there next to her getting his attention, so that was how we got to photo of him which we now treasure.

 

My dog will pose for them.

Unfortunately, he has the EXACT SAME pose every single time. Seriously, every picture of him that he knows I'm taking, will have him right under my feet, staring straight up into the camera, and with his head cocked to the side slightly. If I want a different pose, I have to make sure he doesn't know I'm there...like for this one:

 

I can usually get good pictures of Misha. She's always doing something goofy so I usually have the camera handy.

My biggest problem is that she is overly interested in the camera. If I get in front of her to take a photo, she will walk right up to the camera as I'm clicking. I have several nose shots.

Jessi, I wonder if that is a Jack Russell thing. He seems as curious about the camera as Misha is. She runs over when she sees the camera. Sometimes I think she is disappointed when I'm not taking a photo of her.

 

Stolen shots could be a better idea.
It is also not that easy for me to let our dog pose for the camera. So I will just take a shot if I think it was a cute position without the permission. Lol

 

Thank you all so much for tips! I hope soon I'll have some lovely pictures of my Homer to share

Melody, I have several teeth shots Homer easily gets annoyed with the camera and he tries to bite it

Jessi - my Homer sleeps exactly in the same position But look closely at your dog's eyes: one of them is open. It looks like he was only pretending to be asleep

 

You could be right. He's definitely an attention who--....nevermind. Anyway, he loves having his picture taken and usually stands right below me until I take some more.

And Claudine, yes, he was just opening his eyes as I snapped the picture. Split seconds after that shot, he was up and at my feet.

 

Jessi, Misha is overly curious despite being scare of most things. She just can't help herself around a camera.

Claudine, Misha is not camera shy. But, she gets so close there is not way to get a good shot. Her "stay" command isn't that good yet.

What is worse is when you go to take a photo, then you get the "I'm an abused, lonely dog" look. Misha does this sometimes. The ears are flat, the eyes are sad, and her head hangs down. People will think I'm beating her.

 

Aww When I show pictures of Homer to people, they porobably think: such an agressive dog! In most of the pictures he looks like he was ready to attack. He really was He is showing his teeth when he sees the camera.

 

I also face that issue with Rafa - he isn't one to stay still and especially when there is something in front of him making noises that he doesn't understand. I agree with previous posts though that it really is a luck thing and digital cameras have made it a lot easier. The only way to maybe get a good picture is to just keep clicking. Once I took about 40 pictures of Rafa before I could find 2 that I really liked. It's complicated because unlike adults or children, the dogs don't understand that they need to stay still after the flash,

 

You've got to bribe the dog with treats
It will help them to stay still for a little while, but they might drool a bit, heh.

 

A friend of mine published an article on how to take beautiful pictures of your dog. Her photos are beautiful and the way she captures her dachshund is just amazing.

This article even has pictures for comparisons e.g "why focus on the eyes and not the nose".

Tips such as capturing the shot at the dog's level is just one of the things to remember.

Feel free to drop by the link. Photography Tips by Dachshund Mommy