MY TIPS TO TAKE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE NEXT LEVEL
#1 GEAR:
The instrument you use to photograph with can make a huge difference! It impacts everything from the RAW base photo, to editing and printing. While phone cameras have improved significantly and some may even allow you to shoot in RAW, I still find there’s a big difference in quality between my iPhone 13 pro and my DSLR. If you’re interested in reading more about the gear I use, scroll to the bottom!
If you are keen to start DSLR or mirrorless photography, I highly suggest looking into full-frame DSLR cameras or mirrorless cameras. Do your research, there are so many options out there. There are more affordable options too so you don’t just have to spring for the most expensive camera body, and a lot of these things are sold on eBay and mbp.
If you already have a great camera body that you’re comfortable using, I highly suggest looking into new lenses. If you’re interested in dog photography, a good portrait lens with a wide aperture (low f-stop number) is perfect. My favourite all-rounder is the 35mm f1.8 since it’s perfect for dogs, children, adult portraits and landscapes. Wide angle lenses are also super versatile and take beautiful photos of dogs, children and landscapes.
#2 shoot in manual mode
Almost every photographer will say this, but shooting in manual mode makes all the difference! I remember there being a bit of a learning curve, but it is so important and makes the biggest difference in levelling up your photography. There are tons of instructional YouTube videos out there that are super helpful in demonstrating the basics.
Once you have that down and are able to adjust your ISO, F-stop & shutter speed, take test shots! You can always delete them to save space but it helps to make sure you have the right lighting and exposure.
#3 shoot in raw
While it takes a lot of space, it’s so much better to shoot in RAW when it comes to editing and if you decide to print it. To manage your space, I suggest using external drives directly (instead of loading all those files on your computer) and working off the external drive.
#4 choosing a good setting and lighting
Weather makes a big difference and I actually hate shooting in direct sun or on sunny days. Harsh sunlight can make the subject squinty, hot (and slobbery) and is just uncomfortable for everyone. Plus it adds weird shadows that are a pain to edit out. If there’s shade or you’re shooting in the woods, it may work, but the lighting is also just really annoying to deal with. Overcast days are the best, and I actually love the texture rain and snow add to the foreground of the photo. Also, shooting around golden hour is always gorgeous.
On sunny days, plan to begin your photoshoot about 1 hour before sunset.
#5 angles
Play with angles, take test shots and see how you feel. If you’re photographing a dog, come from above, squat down to their level or even take photos from below. There are so many creative angles you can do and it’s fun to just play around with those
#6 foreground
I love shooting with foreground and I feel like it brings a lot of depth and interest to the photograph. You can always hold something in front of the lens, or use naturally placed objects and stand behind them. There are so many different ways to include foreground so just mess around with it, take test shots and see how you feel!
#7 editing
Photography is not just about taking gorgeous RAW shots straight out of the camera, but also the creativity that comes after. I love using Lightroom and I’ve made so many presets over the years to create gorgeous filters that bring out the photos natural colouring. You can even take that step further and edit in photoshop! You can always mess around with curves, fix blemishes and add embellishments!
Before editing the RAW image, taken with the Nikon D5300, 35mm f/1.8 lens.
After adding our ‘Purple Pub’ preset to the RAW image.
Lulu lifting her head after doing the ‘Go to Sleep’ command at Durdle Door, Dorset.
Our advice for photographing an active dog & puppies
When photographing a puppy, it is important to have a fast shutter speed, we normally keep ours faster than 1/500. Our aperture is normally f/1.8, for more blurry backgrounds in posed portraiture, and f/2-2.2 for adventure shots when we are walking or hiking with her. Depending on the light available (if you’re indoors or outdoors), adjust the ISO and shutter speed accordingly and always do test shots before you begin taking pictures of your pup. Puppies have very short attention spans so don’t start calling for them and attracting their attention until you are ready.
Camera tips and puppy tricks
Teaching your puppy tricks is always helpful to making a shot more interesting. Of course, with very tiny puppies, even a little ‘Sit’ is interesting enough as they are all SO CUTE, but after a while, we began to get bored of all the sitting-and-looking pictures of Lulu in our feed. Our favourite trick we taught Lulu was ‘Through’— where she runs through our legs and sits nice and tall. ‘Hug’ was another that really made the pictures with ‘the hooman’ much cuter. ‘Go to sleep’ is also another favourite trick, especially in pretty locations as it really showcases the scenery and your puppy all in one shot. It’s always fun to show off all our puppies tricks in photos and really makes your insta feed so pretty and fun to look at.
My gear:
Camera body:
Nikon D850 (For all photos December 2019 onwards)
Lenses:
Nikorr 35mm f/1.8
Nikorr 14-24mm f/2.8
Nikorr 85mm f/1.8g
Nikorr 50mm f/1.4
Lens filter:
URTH Variable ND2 filter
Questions?
Please don’t hesitate to ask on here, through my email or Lulu’s instagram. I respond to direct messages on instagram almost instantly, within a day at the latest! I was a beginner photographer just a few years ago and it has taken a lot of self-learning, a photography class in university and tons of practice to get to where I am today. I am always happy to answer any questions and help in any way!