The change of season is a great time to explore the outdoors. The Fall colors provide some excellent photo opportunities. It’s our favorite time of the year, and we miss the Midwest Fall. Here in SoCal, known for its climate and weather, we have to search for Fall colors. We ventured a new park that has many maple trees for a chance to have some fun Halloween photos.
Last year, I shared 6 Halloween Pet Photography Tips. This year, I reached out to one of our twitter pals, Jackie Kane. Jackie is a professional photographer that specializes in architectural, lifestyle and fine art photography. Since Jackie also offers photography classes., she shares some pet photography tips you can use in taking fun Halloween photos of your dog.
1o Tips for Taking Fun Halloween Photos of Your Dog
Photo-Prep
1. Safety First – During your photo session, be sure your dog can be contained in an area. Avoid being near busy streets, creeks, woods or anything potentially unsafe. If you are in an uncontained area, your dog must be on a leash.
2. Whether you’re taking Halloween Pet Photos with a smartphone or D-SLR, be sure not to overwhelm your dog.
3. Take some time to gain your dog’s confidence like tossing a toy, or giving a treat.
4. Make sure your dog is comfortable.
* For some dogs, Halloween costumes can cause discomfort. A simple accessory like a fun Halloween collar or hat is sufficient for your photography.
Ready to Capture!
5. For best result and perspective, get down to your dog’s level.
6. Avoid mid-day light that creates harsh shadows. Natural light will yield better results than flash and keep your pet more at ease.
7. Shoot on wide aperture to soften (blur) background. Blurring will make the dog stand out more and disguise unsightly or distracting backgrounds.
* If you are using an iPhone or digital camera, take a horizontal photo and use a photo editing such as PicMonkey to blur the background.
8. Set your shutter speed to fast; it helps to freeze action.
9. Focusing can be tricky because some dogs don’t stay still. Single-shot is fine with dogs that hold a pose for a few seconds at a time. Set your camera to Continuous AF for dogs that move constantly – the camera will keep refocusing while the shutter button is half-pressed.
* For 8 & 9: On an iPhone, create burst photos by holding down the shutter bottom. In some digital cameras, use the sports mode.
10. Have FUN!
To create your own pet photography style, find some time to practice taking photos of your dog. You will come to learn what works for you and your dog and makes your heart sing.
What are your plans for taking some fun Halloween photos of your dog?
great tips!! I like #10 and I bet we will have fun :o) the mama only has to be as fast as a lightning to snap a photo before I eat the props and the costume :o>)
Very nice post!!! I like the great tips that you gave us. Have a happy Halloween full of fun:)
You are such a great model SUGAR and your mom takes good pictures. I need to figure out how to do the blurred background. Love it! Did your mom get a new camera? She should start her own pet photography.
Hi SChiMom, See #7 above for blurring backgrounds. Wide aperture (aka f stop) would be starting with the lowest aperture number (widest lens opening) your lens has, which could be anywhere from f 4, f 3.5, (average) to f 2.8, f 1.8 on more advanced lenses. Blurring is also affected by your subject to background distance. In some cases you may get pleasing blurred backgrounds (known also as “bokeh”) with f stops around f 5.6. When shooting MANUAL be sure to match up your shutter speed settings to “zero out” for the perfect exposure. Experiment with various apertures and you’ll see the difference it has on the photo background (aka depth of field – from blurred to sharp).
Enjoy!
Great tips Sugar…your photos are always purrfect
Hugs madi your bfff
Great tips! BUTT I sure hope mom doesn’t dress me and Stanley up!
Your Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Your photos are always spot ON! Thanks for all the great tips! You are very fortunate that you have such a patient model!
Great tips! My dog doesn’t like the camera, or my phone. She will turn her head or hide if she has a choice. Sugar is very photogenic. She knows how to pose and looks so pretty! 🙂
Great tips Sugar, have a great day.
Those are some pawesome tips!!
xoxo,
Matt & Matilda