I am certainly not an average dog lover (gee, does it show?); however, I am most certainly an average dog photographer. I will admit that my skills in using the camera have improved since starting this blog almost three years ago, but sadly - to this day - I still don’t know how to properly work my camera. I give most of the credit (most, not all) to my dear husband for supplying this blog with great and often humorous photos of Luna and Penny. I also give him much credit for teaching me how to use a DSLR camera.

He’s taught me (more than he should have, probably) all about aperture, ISO sensitivity, and shutter speed. He’s exposed me to the finer points of exposure; he’s dumped definitions of focal length and bokeh, and helped me understand macro photography. With all of that stuffed in my brain, I am still trying to comprehend the on-the-fly applications of all those settings and concepts. Even when I think I have these things set properly I still find myself quite clueless when my photos come out completely blurry or just plain weird.

I do know that no matter what kind of camera you are using to take photos of your dog, you can never go wrong by simply taking a lot of them, getting down on your dog’s level, paying attention to the background, distracting with a squeaky toy, and most times turning off the flash while indoors.

 

(A recent favorite of mine. Is this picture sheer luck or am I getting the hang of it?)

While taking a photography class at a local college is not an option for me now, I have a few favorite blogs that I like to frequent for photography inspiration:

For beautiful, honest, and sincere photography, visit Dog By Nature. Kona’s mom is an amazing photographer and knows what she is doing with her camera.

For images of dogs that are always running, leaping, playing and without ever being blurry, visit Dogs Rock.

For artsy, creative, and unique photos, visit Miss Vivi Gold. Just one look at this site and you will see why I visit this one often.

If you are the type of person that likes a challenge, then visit BZ Training. The gang here takes part in ‘The Daily Shoot’ which is a simple daily routine to motivate and inspire you to practice your photography.

And last but not least, for photos that are always cute due to the scenic setting and absolutely adorable dogs, visit The Dogs of Green Hill Farm.

Fortunately I have two dogs who are both incredibly - inspirationally - beautiful (though utterly, hopelessly un-poseable) subjects. Getting these polar opposite girls to sit together for just a mere two seconds is quite a challenge, however I am a firm believer of that ancient old saying ‘practice makes perfect.’