Photographing Dogs

One of my favorite subjects to photograph is the dog. We have four ourselves and my sister-in-law has six. There is no shortage of opportunities.
Dogs can be difficult to photograph, especially if you try to get them in a studio setting.



This is our bulldog Chesty. He is not too hard to photograph. He thinks his job is to hold down the couch anyway. He ignored all the commotion associated with setting up lights and umbrellas and posed well for a couple shots before dosing off again.


This is Pippin and he is much more difficult to photograph. I would not want to make my living from this type of photography, it is not easy.

Capturing Pippin outside can be a chore also, but sometimes I get lucky.Picking your background can really make the image.


Here is another example of composing the dog with a great background. This was taken at Berner's Bay in Juneau.

Our boxer Mo is a challenge to photograph as well. Full of energy and never resting, it makes it hard to get a good shot. Here I captured him on a hike in Hatcher Pass near our home. Another example of paying attention to the background.


The hardest, but most rewarding, is capturing dogs in motion. This shot was taken on Lake Lucille during a Dock Dogs competition.


Another Dock Dogs photo. It was sure fun to capture these images, the dogs had a blast.

Capturing owners with their dogs make some of the best shots. This is my lovely wife with Pepper. We had to put Pepper down this summer after 14 years of being in the family.

Another owner shot with Meg and Pippin. You can sure tell he is loved!!

I have tons of dog photos and will probably post a blog on photographing the Iditarod or mushing in general.

Mike Criss

http://www.akphotograph.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/alaska48/