Feeling Tall

yourdesignerdog — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 06:30:12 +0000

For the Pet Photography Challenge this week the task was to take photos from a lower perspective. This is a technique I use all the time in taking photos of Sadie. It makes Sadie feel like a strong focal point in our photos and also helps to show off tall objects or buildings in the background. I really feel that the closer you are to your pets’ level, the more authentic the photos look. You wouldn’t take a portrait of a person from above them, so why take pictures of your pets that way?

But Sadie is a particularly short dog and I am a particularly short person. So getting photos from a lower angle is always a challenge for us. A typical photo shoot at a park or other outdoor location almost always ends in dirt and grass stains all over my clothing as I try to get low enough to photograph Sadie.

That’s why I love scenarios like in the photos in this blog post. All of these photos were taken last Summer in the Berkshires at the highest point in the state of Massachusetts. Leading up to the monument was a big platform with stairs climbing up to it. I was able to place Sadie on the platform above me and take photos of her from below, enabling me to get both Sadie and the full monument in the photos.

While photos from this angle look awesome and make Sadie look confident and tall, there is one slight problem. You may notice a hand in the photo above. My family, especially Sadie’s uncle, absolutely hates when I place Sadie on a higher level to get a good angle for photos. When we’re on a family vacation, like in these photos, it is almost impossible for me to take photos of Sadie without their constant concern and interruption. Obviously Sadie’s safety is my number one concern. I won’t put her somewhere she can fall. She always has a harness on and I always hold onto the leash, even if it gets in the way of my photos. And Sadie is probably the least jumpy dog you’ve ever met – she refuses to jump onto the couch or the bed, so why in the world does my family think she will randomly jump off of a wall? Regardless of my family’s unnecessary concerns, I think that placing your pet safely at a higher vantage point is the perfect way to achieve great photos from a lower perspective.

This post is part of the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Tips For Taking the Perfect Picture of Your Pet

yourdesignerdog — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 12:00:59 +0000

The holidays are fast approaching, which means it’s time to start thinking about your holiday cards. If you’re anything like me, then you definitely want your pets included on your cards. But sometimes it can be extremely difficult to take a picture of your pets that’s worthy of sharing to all your friends and family. So today I’m sharing my top tips for taking a shareworthy photo of your pets.

Find the right lighting.

You need bright light to take a great pet photo. The darker your location, the more blurry your photo will become if your pet moves even a little. If you’re in a dark location and use the flash, you may have problems with your pets closing their eyes. Natural sunlight is your best bet for a clear, sharp image. Outdoor photos look wonderful, but come with their own set of difficulties. You may need to keep your pets on a leash to make sure they can’t get away, but you may not like the way a leash looks in your photos. Also your pets can be easily distracted by all the outdoor sights, sounds, and smells, so it may be more difficult to get them to focus on the camera. To avoid this problem, you can take your photos indoors in a room that gets a lot of sunlight.

Take your dog for a walk right before you take your photos.

A walk relaxes your dog and uses up his or her excess energy. If your dogs have too much pent-up energy, they will find it harder to follow your commands and stay still enough for good photos. My favorite time to take pictures of Sadie is right after a walk. She usually settles down on the couch to relax with a big grin on her face, happy from her recent walking adventure. It’s s great time to get some photos showing off those doggie grins.

Make sure your camera has plenty of memory.

The more photos you take, the better your chances at getting the perfect shot. On an average photo shoot I take around forty or fifty photos of Sadie, just to make sure I have some good shots. But the photo at the top of this post I go on the first shot, so you never know exactly how long it will take. Which brings me to my final point…

Be patient, because there will be trial and error involved.

If you start getting frustrated or annoyed at your pets, they will be less likely to cooperate. Just be patient and try other tactics to get the photo you want. When I want to take some pictures of Sadie, I’m never sure what kind of mood she will be in. Sometimes she’s perfectly happy to pose and smile for the camera. Sometimes she absolutely hates her outfit or the location and will not look at the camera until I change what’s bothering her. Some days she looks straight at the camera if I squeak her toy. Other days only holding a treat in my hand gets her attention. And sometimes she will look everywhere but the camera and only calling in an assistant to stand behind me gets her to look. So don’t be afraid to make silly noises or try anything else you can think of, because you never know what may turn out to be an amazing photo.

This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes blog hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like A Dog.