Create Beautiful Memories

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Create Beautiful Memories

Written by Diane Holmes

I love taking pictures of my dogs. In fact, when I look through my photo albums, most of the pictures I take are of my dogs (sad I know, but no judgement!).

jake_possum I’m not a professional photographer by any means, but have taken enough photos to capture some amazing moments. Ok, I will admit that I have to take about 200 shots to get one amazing one!

Here are some tips for getting great pictures of your dog:

Invest in a good camera. I actually switched to a digital SLR camera over a year ago, mainly because of shutter speed. Have you noticed how fast dogs are? With my old camera, by the time it took the picture, I had a great picture of grass! Uh, where’s the dog?? Gone.

Take a photography class. I took an amazing course with a local photographer in the spring, and it was so worth it! Now my pictures look so much better.

Use interesting angles. My favourite angle is chest level, capturing the dog’s point of view. I usually just hold my camera at about chest level and shoot. Yes, I have taken many pictures with their heads cut off (!!), but when I get jake_flowers

one, it’s great.

Watch the lighting. Here’s one thing I learned. Contrary to my earlier belief, a sunny day is NOT the best for a photo shoot (thanks Illona!). Grey or hazy days give the best light. If you are taking pictures on a sunny day, watch for shadows, and have the sun behind you.

Invest in a photo shoot. Let’s be honest here (and put my ego aside), my photos are ok. But I wanted amazing pictures of my dogs. That’s one regret I have with our dog that’s now gone - I don’t have any amazing pictures of Jack. He will always live in my jake_paw

mind, but I sure wish I had something beautiful to put on the wall. I won’t have that regret with my dogs now! If you’re in the Toronto area, I highly recommend Scruffy Dog Photography. I chose Illona because of the way she captures the dog’s spirit, and she didn’t disappoint.

Keep your camera handy - you never know when the little monkey will do something you will want to remember - or just prove actually happened. The picture of Diesel’s head in a Pepsi box is one that I will always cherish (and snicker at), and I pulled out my phone and took it.
The box was flattened for recycling, she was sniffing inside the box, stood up and the box was still around her snout. Hilarious!

Take pictures throughout your dog’s life. We often take lots of pictures when they are puppies, but forget to keep it up as they get older.

My favourite pictures are when they're moving. Put your camera on the Sports setting and shoot away. I find the action pictures are more natural, and you can get some amazing facial expressions and moments captured. Plus you can use the seasonal colours to accent your pictures. The amazing green grass of summer or the wonderful fall colours. Don't forget the snow! And much more natural than posed, although they can be fun too.

While it's great to take pictures yourself for every day events, my absolute favourite pictures are from the photo shoot I did with Scruffy Dog Photography. These were amazing shots, and there were so many good ones, it was so hard to choose when it came time to get prints. Many of the photos from my site are from that photo shoot, and if you are in the Toronto or Kitchener area, I highly recommend Illona at Scruffy Dog. She knows how to bring out the best in your dog!

However you choose to take photos, just make sure you do. Some of my favourite evenings are spent looking through my photos. Always puts a smile on my face!

diesel_beauty jake_diesel_ear jake_snow