Shoot Pooch Portraits

Jason Parnell-Brookes shows you how to capture perfect action photographs of your favourite pooch, even if they won’t sit still for more than five seconds!

We know that as soon as the word ‘walkies’ is uttered in front of a dog, there’s excited bouncing, running and barking to be endured until you get to the park. With all that pent up energy it can be hard to get a good snap of the dog on your smartphone with only wisps of hair and blurred fur as they zoom past. Opt instead for a DSLR and you’ll quickly see just how much more capable you are of capturing some great shots as they bound through the air at full speed.

However, it’s still difficult to balance the exposure, get focusing spot-on and compose the image in a way that pleases the eye. Let alone getting your dog model to behave well enough to get that shot in the first place!

That’s why having all your settings dialled in first, before unleashing the hairy bullet, can help improve your hit rate. Having a helping hand whilst you’re shooting is also a must if you want good shots. We photographed Rupert, a tan-brown cockapoo, during his evening walk with owners Jess and Ben. Although Rupert was only seven months old and had limitless energy, they did a good job of corralling him, aided by the temptation of snacks, to allow us the opportunity to get close photographs of him. So let’s take a look at what you need to do to get midaction doggy portraits!

STEP BY STEP / Dial in settings for delightful doggy photos

1 Continuous burst mode The first adjustment you should make is to use Continuous High burst mode. When the shutter release button is pressed your Nikon will fire off photos for as long as you hold it down, so you can pick the best shot from the sequence.