Any Tips for taking pet photos?

Right off shortly to take some photo's of some British Bulldogs any advice?

Going to a local water park. Thinking field setting best, what do you think about in front of the water?

If the dogs are in front of the water and it is a sunny day you may have to watch your exposure as the light reflecting off the water may fool your metering system to underexpose the main subject i.e. the dog.

Take a few shots and check the histogram and if need be add some exposure compensation.

Steve

Thanks Steve, took loads of photo's and on my camera there looks as though there are some really nice ones, unfortunately for some reason the programme that I use to upload them isn't working agggghhhh !!

What a great dog they are, some really comical moments especially the one where one of them came running at me whilst I was sat down and knocked me on my back and kissed me all over, the shots of him coming towards me are so funny.

Was gonna say stick to eye level and focus on the eyes but you've been and are back already

Look forward to seeing the shots!

Bet they are great when you are able to download them. The BB are such clowns and very playful it is a shame that people think them all ill bred and unhealthy although, of course, like any dog they can be.

I know it's such a shame! Mandy said that hers live to around 11 mid teens so great going for any breed and that they also whelp naturally. The photo's are of mother and son and she had 10 of them in the litter naturally too!!

Bit late for this photo session but for future reference if it were me I would think about which lens to use for where you intend taking the photo. For a moving subject possibly an f2.8 lens of whatever mm to allow a faster shutter speed. Alternatively for still subject then even f3.5-f5.6 in good light would be ok.
One thing about photography that amazes me is the variety of choice given the same settings/circumstances that different lenses offer. From closeup to wide angle , near background to distant background, and that hasn't even touched on filters, the list is endless.

Dianne maybe listing your lenses may help us to help you.

Bazza

Hi Diane

A few general principles I find useful might include:

1. Clear focus on the eyes (Try to capture a catchlight in the eyes to give added impact).
2. Crisp sharp images (unless you are deliberately trying a different effect)
3. Get down to your pets level and explore different angles.
4. Try to capture something that is synonymous with your pet.
5. Think about how to take the best picture using the rules of composition so that your pet is the prime subject in the picture.
6. Think about complementary colours and textures as part of the background image.
7. Try to capture a behaviour or characteristic of your pet to show off it's personaility.
8. Have fun doing it - and let your pet have fun too!
9. Plan your shots ahead but be ready for anything else that might occur.

On the more technical side... I mainly use shutter priority on multi-shot setting or manual if I have more time to compose a shot.

Get snapping - I look forward to seeing the results.