Thank you
I looked through past photo`s of my Defa which were taken at shows by professional photographers and those sort of shots were what I was trying to aim for, but I`ve now realised how `samey` they are, at shows of course the photographers are limited to where they can set up outside a ring but the angles were always the same - since coming on here and seeing so much thought put into angle and perspective etc I have realised how boring most `standard` agility shots are I want more than that because now I know there is so much more to be had
I am lucky that I can get right in there with the dogs so I am experimenting more with positioning, I`m chuffed to bits that what I`m trying for is starting to show, thank you

This is where I get a bit stuck - it does have a sport setting but the shots I have taken with it are usually more blurred than this set which I did manually on AV [ or TV, one of the other lol ]
I need to experiment more with different apertures til I hit on the right combination - and to figure out why the sport setting is`nt as sharp as it should be, I must have messed up the tweak settings so I need to play around with that again

I appreciate your advice very much, you have always been very helpful to me Snapper, each thing that is picked up on and used to guide me is what I can utilise to get toward the elusive `that`s the shot` that I hope to be able to take one day, it`s thanks to all of you who are giving me advice which is building my confidence that I can finally believe it will eventually happen for me

Thank you
I think what it is, is that as the button has to be pressed partway for the camera to focus, I have to do that before the dog gets to the jump so the camera focuses on the obstacle and I have to time pressing the button fully when the dog is in the right place going over the jump, so the camera does`nt react fast enough for me to focus directly on the dog instead of the jump then get the shot while the dog is still in the frame - is that what Dawn meant by shutter lag ? [ have I explained that properly ]

I tried a few on increased ISO [ 200 and 400, it can go up to 1600 ], but they came out darker and when auto lightened on my software there was so much noise they looked terrible, far too much to be able to remove - will post an example separately in the general section to show what I ended up doing with a shot like that

I am not ashamed to admit when I checked that one on the back screen I was quite excited, it was the first one I went to when I loaded the pics to PC, I have a feeling when I do eventually get my once in a lifetime shot it will probably be along those lines because it `felt` like it was starting to come together if that makes sense


Right, I just got the camera in front of me to double check the settings it was on cos I could`nt remember if it showed on the display as 1500 or 1/500 and it did say 1/500, so I thought that was the max as it says 1500 in the manual - well what a numpty I am, I could`nt understand why it had the `/` so I fiddled a bit and it flippin` does go higher

I thought 1/500 meant the 1500 but it does`nt at all, as I have just found it goes from 1/500 to 1/650, to 1/820 to 1/1000 to 1/1300 then to 1/1500 - on re-reading, 1/500 is the max with flash, but I thought it was the max max, I am soooooo stoopid, double Doh !!!


I also found it has a setting for when it`s cloudy - which it was when I took the pics on Friday - so I`m going to give that setting a whirl too
The aperture can go up to f6.7 but the speed then says 1/35 which goes higher if I extend the lens as if I were going to take something further away ?

The flippin` snow better clear soon, I wanna get out there and see what happens for an agility pic on the proper 1500 instead of the 1/500 and I wanna do it now - well, when it`s light and the snow has cleared

[ I guess father xmas can hold off for a DSLR for a bit longer after all, there is so much I don`t know about this camera yet ]

Hi Patch - it would be very easy to overload you with advice on improving your photos, however, I don't think that would be very useful.

What I'd like to do is offer you one piece of advice, which you can concentrate on getting right before giving you further advice.

If you note from your pictures it looks to me as if you are, knowingly or otherwise, using an 'ambush' method of snapping. That is, you have your camera at the ready focused on the obstacles and wait for the dog to arrive at the obstacle before snapping. without a fast lens, shutter speed and good light this is quite difficult to achieve.

What I think you haven't taken into account too well is the speed of the dog. The dog has already cleared the obstacle and is moving forward at pace before you manage to go through the process of:

- Watching the dogs approach
- Picking it up in the view finder
- Communicating between brain and finger
- Pressing the shutter release
- The shutter operating at what ever speed you have set it at.

What you might like to practice is panning - that is having a firing point in mind, composing for it, picking the dog up sooner as it makes its approach from further back, keeping the dog in view and rotating the camera to follow the dog around, and releasing the shutter BEFORE it actually makes the jump. This will take a bit of experimenting, watch the dogs body just as it is about to spring, or its legs compress just before launch, and take the snap then and keep the camera moving forward on the dog at all times until the jump is cleared. You will find that you may think it too early, but dogs moving at speed are very deceptive.

Have a go and see how you fair. Good luck.

That`s exactly what I do, I get in position, consider where the dog will come over, press the button halfway so the square on the display goes blue to say its ready, then I take the shot as the dogs heads in - it is deliberate as that`s the only way I seemed to get anywhere but as per what`s been explained to me that`s why I get the obstacle nice and sharp but not the dog

That`s the problem I am finding with this sort of camera, the built in lens is all there is, I can`t swap lenses to suit and I have`nt got the hang of the settings properly yet to utilise what is built in

That`s fair comment, but I`m lucky that these are dogs and handlers that I teach so I am getting the hang of each dogs speed of approach and in flight speed, but one problem I do have is I`m right arm disabled and of course I am right handed so my reaction time to press the button is something I have to be very aware of - I tried it left handed but I can`t co-ordinate that at all, the dogs might as well have finished training and be on their way home by the time a left handed button press will connect through my brains pathways

Also, I never use the eye hole to look through as the angle for my right hand to get to the button is too difficult so I have to use the back screen for aiming so that probably does`nt help matters

That makes complete sense, you have explained it so well for me
I have always thought camera`s had to be held still or on a tripod, I have always aimed using the back screen for where the dog will appear, kept the camera as steady as possible in that position, then watched the dog to get the timing as best I could for how far in the air they would be in the frame for the shot I am trying for
I will give panning a go with my dogs running around in the garden first to get a feel for it, the next agility class I teach is`nt til Friday and the same two dogs will be training so that gives me plenty of time to try it out then compare results, thank you so much

Some very good advice from JR there Patch. Look forward to round 3!

Having realised through my other thread [ Tree at night ], that the screen on my laptop was completely set up wrong for how things look on it I have re-set the photos from this thread to better resolution and they now look so overexposed on the screen to me
Can someone tell me if they look better now please - I think they are richer and the agility equipment looks the right colour but having used the lappy at wrong setting for long I can`t be sure I`m seeing them now as they should be and if they look the same to everyone else who hopefully use a default setting which my lappy is now on, [ though that can still make machines vary in how they show things on the screen of course ]



















[ and Silks B/W portrait ]

Yep they look much better Patch - just a tiny bit dark.

I didn't catch your reply in the other thread but have you calibrated your screen?

I have`nt calibrated it, I don`t know how I just clicked default to put it back to how it was before I messed with it

Good effort. I haven't read through all the posts so not sure what others have already written but here is my advice.

Depending on your camera, set it on TV mode (shutter priority) and set the shutter speed to about 1/640 or 1/400 and the the camera work out the aperture. If it struggles bump the ISO up a little to 200 or even 400. Get low to the ground so you are eye level with the dog (as it looks like you have done). The higher shutter speed will ensure sharpness and the ISO will ensure you are getting enough light in.

The above settings are what i use when taking the sled dog racing pictures, if i can i use a higher shutter speed but the slowest i tend to go is 1/640.

Always try and focus on the eyes and face.