Somewhat related to “leading lines” - using diagonals and triangles in your images can help to draw the viewer’s eye into and through the image, “pointing” to important parts. Important elements can be placed along...
Using leading lines is a great way to draw the viewers attention to where you want it - your furry subject! Leading lines often go hand in hand with perspective created by man-made objects such...
Especially when shooting in urban areas, use your surroundings to frame and feature dog and owner relationships. This beautiful church doorway creates the perfect frame for Hugo the Great Dane and his mum Sarah, and...
Lighting can be tricky in urban areas, with sources of shade from buildings from multiple directions at once. To ensure you obtain catchlights in the eyes always face your subject towards a light source. If...
It can be a real balancing act to feature very small subjects, such as little dogs like Chase here, in a scene where they are so dwarfed by everything around them. Large elements abound in...
Colour is another element that’s usually more readily available when shooting in urban areas. Rather than the earthy greens and browns of natural areas, in urban areas keep an eye out for different colours and...
When shooting in urban areas, always keep an eye out for interesting doorways - those that are rustic, brightly coloured or contrasting with the surrounding wall, or have unique features. Doorways are handy for framing...
I may have mentioned this before, but it’s a good tip and bears repeating! If your subject doesn’t have a good “stay” consider elevating them on the edge of something. In urban environments there are...
Shooting in urban areas forces you to explore, improvise and experiment. Unexpected things can pop up just around the next corner, so you keep an open mind and a positive attitude. This awesome etched metal...
Carrying on from yesterday’s post about focal length - understanding the effects of focal length on perspective comes in handy when photographing a small subject in front of a big background - like Indy the...
Understanding the effects of focal length on perspective comes in handy when photographing a small subject in front of a big background - like Indy the Miniature Poodle here in front of the Brisbane Gallery...
When shooting in urban environments, dealing with all the sources of shade you’ll encounter, it can be hard to get your subject lit nicely. Even if you place your subject somewhere with limited light, try...
When shooting in urban environments, keep an eye out for ways you can incorporate colour into your shots! Coloured walls, sculptures and buildings can offer splashes of colour to spice up a collection of images...
When shooting in urban areas, look for ways you can place the dog in scenes or in front of buildings where the angle of view minimises clutter. This may mean elevating the dog on a...
After being in business for nearly 6 years, I just couldn't believe I'd never had a session with a Dalmatian, so when it came time to choose a model for my mentoring session with Mel...
The second of my shooting mentoring sessions with Nicola (our first model being Zephyr the tri coloured, blue eyed Border Collie) was a very different style of shoot. Our model was a British Bulldog called Buddah and the session took place...
The first place I look for mentoring session models is in my commercial dog model database. I'd been wanting to use this special gal for a while! In her application form, her mum Kay had said: "Bill...
I choose my models for mentoring sessions very carefully, as I want my students to have the best possible experience. Most of the time, I prefer to use dogs who have a good level of obedience so...