6 Tips for Photographing Dogs

Canon R6 • Canon EF85mm f/1.4L • ISO 4000 • f/10 • 1/400 sec

I don’t do a lot of pet photography, but here are some tips from my own personal experience in a basic outdoor evening setting. There may be more factors to consider under different shooting scenarios, but these should get you started.

  1. Have Patience. I’m starting out with this one, as it’s probably the one I struggle with the most when it comes to photographing energetic dogs. The dog shown in this article (Harlow) was about 6-months old and curious about everything around him. This inability to sit still may be a challenge, and it makes me personally happy I’m using a modern camera with more shot capacity than I’ll ever need!

  2. Consider a Zoom Lens over Prime. Dogs react to movement. At minimum, their eyes will be drawn to the movement, if not the entire dog. A zoom lens will enable you to make some composition adjustments with minimal physical movement. The slower autofocus found in some zooms shouldn’t be an issue, and you won’t typically need the wider aperture capability found in some primes (per Tip #5).

  3. Use Back Button Auto-Focus. If you’re not familiar with this, it can be a game changer. It refers to a camera configuration wherein you disconnect the focusing trigger from the shutter release button. Instead, you assign the focusing trigger to a button on the rear of the camera. This allows you to manage the auto-focus function separately from (in parallel with) the shutter release. Couple this with eye-tracking and servo mode, and you’ve just enabled continuous autofocus on the eyes.

  4. Leverage People and Props. In addition to movement, distractions of the surrounding and a general curiosity may also serve as a trigger, for the dog. Introducing props (toys, sticks, etc.) can help focus the dog’s attention and provide some action to the shot. Both may be desirable. Likewise, the dog’s owner can also help focus the attention, either as part of the shot or off to the side.

  5. Pay Attention to Depth of Field (DOF). DOF refers to the relative depth of image content that will be in focus. In the case of photographing dogs, think of it as determining whether the entire face (nose to ears) will be in focus OR just a portion of the face. See the two discussion photos at bottom for an example. Assuming you plan to be relatively close to the subject, an aperture setting in the f/10 range will typically suffice. On a related note, also pay attention to the positioning of people and props, ensuring the aperture setting is sufficient to include all composition targets within the DOF.

  6. Use Manual Settings. Given the need to manage your DOF (aperture) and capture a moving subject (faster shutter speed), this would be a good time for manual settings if you’re typically accustomed to using a “priority” setting

DISCUSSION PHOTOS

Too Shallow

The DOF is clearly too shallow at f/1.4. Notice the hair around the nose is in focus, while the eyes and nose are out of focus.

About Right

The DOF is about right at f/10. The face and nose are in focus, with the background slightly blurred.

Like this post?

Use the links below to share on your favorite social media platform.

Jay Lodge