Hey Mighty Paw Fam, Barbara here to share some dog photography tips with you guys! 

...because if you're like me, you LOVE taking pictures of your pup but you're not a professional photographer and can use all the tips and hacks you can get to improve your shots.

So for this blog post, I asked our photographer Tanya to share some of her dog photography wisdom with us.

You may have seen pictures of her pup Koda in our email newsletters or on our social media profiles. He's a senior Husky who loves to explore Nature and goes on lots of hiking and camping trips with his mom.

Now without further ado, let's hear some of Tanya's advice!

Dog Photography: Take Awesome Pictures of Your Dog With These Tips!

Early morning or late afternoon

The best time for taking photos is early in the morning (just after sunrise) or late in the afternoon (an hour or so before sunset).

That's because the light is less harsh and creates soft shadows. 

Shade

If you shoot in the afternoon or when the lighting is more harsh because of the full sun, be sure to photograph your subjects in the shade. 

Motivators

If your dog is food motivated, bring a treat you know they will love and go after every time.

Getting a dog’s attention over and over again can get stressful for the pup, so make sure to bring something that's super high value.

Tanya's secret sauce is plain cheese and tiny bits of cut up hot dog!

Pro Tip: Carry the treats in our Dog Treat Pouch, that way you can easily reach for them and won't get your pockets all messy.

If your pup's not willing to work for food, bring something else that's highly desirable. For example, their favorite (squeaky) toy, a ball or a frisbee. 

Move slowly and use burst mode

Use the motivator to get your pup's attention.

Once you have it, move slowly and capture a few shots of them sitting still.

When they start moving or playing, be sure to use burst mode or continuous shooting so you can capture some good action shots.

Faster shutter speed with DSLR

If you’re using a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera), use a faster shutter speed.

That will help freeze action and you’ll have less blurry photos.

Portrait mode on Iphone

If you're shooting with an iPhone, play around with the portrait mode.

You can get some really nice bokeh that will draw the viewer's attention to the main subject.

The Bokeh effect means that the background is blurry.

Focus on the eyes

Focus on your dog's eyes.

Capturing the expression and personality in the eyes will create more engaging dog photos!

Different angles

Play around with different angles.

If you can, get right down on the ground with your pup. That can make for some really great shots and put the viewer’s perspective on the dog's level.

Photo Editing Apps

There are several free photo editing apps you can use to help enhance your photos.

For example, you can add contrast, lighten up areas, adjust the color temperature, and more.

Here is a list of a few of Tanya's favorites:

• VSCO
• Canva
• Snapseed, and
• GIMP 

Barbara's Bonus Tip

And here comes one of my personal technical tips as a little bonus!

If you're shooting with your smartphone, make sure to check that your camera lens is clean.

I've had fingerprint smudges on mine before and it took me a moment to figure out what was "wrong" with my camera...