Table of Contents
1. Get down low
2. Use a fast shutter speed
3. Focus on the eyes
4. Have a solid recall
5. Bonus tip!
Action shots are one of my absolute favorite ways to photograph dogs! Your dog gets to have fun, you capture their silly personality, and it creates a stunning portrait for your wall. And the best part is, your dog doesn't need any obedience to take action shots! You can keep them on a long line (like a 30ft leash) and have someone hold it until it's time to take the picture.
Use these tips to take better action photos of your dog, or schedule a session here and I can do all the work for you!
01. get down low
And I mean LOW. Like on the ground. It may seem overly dramatic or cumbersome, but the more you can get on your dog's level, the better your image will be! This really captures the image from your dog's perspective, and helps them be the focal point of the photo. I prefer to either sit on my bottom with my camera in between my legs, or lay on my stomach with my camera close to the ground.
02. use a fast shutter speed
Shutter speed is how fast your camera's opening closes to take a picture. The faster the shutter speed, the quicker it takes the picture. If using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, using a fast shutter speed like 1/500 or higher will freeze your subject in motion and make the shot nice and crisp. However, I prefer to set it at 1/1000 or higher if the conditions allow it.
03. focus on the eyes
The eyes are the absolute most important part in dog photos! You want them to be perfectly crisp and in focus, instead of accidentally focusing on the nose (although it happens to all of us). When using a DSLR or mirrorless camera, I prefer to use a small focus box that I can manually move around the shot rather than trust autofocus. This way I can use it to track the dog's eye as they move, rather than hope that autofocus will find it. Most cameras' autofocus will do a decent job, but if you're wanting the most control you can get, a manual focus box is the answer. This can take a lot of practice to get right, but it's absolutely worth it when you get those jaw dropping images!
04 - have a solid recall
Recall is when your dog is trained to come back to you on command. Having a solid recall can help tremendously when taking action photos of your dog, especially if you're taking them alone. My favorite method is to set my dog up in a spot with a beautiful background, put them in a sit or a stay, walk about 50 feet away, then recall them to me and take the photos while they're running towards me.
My biggest tip for a solid recall is to always always reward your dog with a treat or toy every time you recall them! This will make it their favorite game in the world and they will always be happy to come back to you. If your dog can't be trusted off-leash, you can use a long line (15-30ft) or bring a helper to hold them for you!
bonus! how to get creamy backgrounds
Everyone loves a good creamy, blurry background! This helps your subject stand out and makes the image more dramatic. There are several ways to get a more blurry background:
1. Place your subject far away from the background. For example, if there are trees in the background, back as far away from those trees as possible and they will get blurrier!
2. Use a low aperture/f-stop on your camera. The lower the aperture, the blurrier your background will be, but it will also be harder to focus on your subject. An aperture of 2.5 or lower will yield beautiful creamy backgrounds, but how low you can go will depend on your lens.
3. Use a long lens/focal range. My Sony 70-200mm lens is my absolute favorite go-to lens for action photography and also gives a beautiful creamy background when used at 100-200mm. The longer the focal length, the more compression you have, which basically means the background looks closer to the subject and very blurry.
good luck!
Use all of these tips together and you will get the most beautiful action shots that you will be dying to show your friends!
Or, if this sounds a little too daunting for you, let's book a session together and let me do all the work for you!
