BernerWise

  • Blog
    • Photography
    • Training
    • Grooming
    • Show dogs
    • Videos
    • Contact us
    • Puzzle
    • Resources
  • Buying a puppy
    • Guide to buying a puppy
    • Video Guide: Picking the right puppy
  • The Berner Nerd Store

December 14, 2014 By Eileen Blass 20 Comments

6 tips to make your Bernese Mountain Dog pictures better

 

Merlin at age 8 weeks photographed from a low angle to give an unusual perspective. © 2014 Eileen Blass
Merlin at 8 weeks photographed from a low angle for an unusual perspective. © 2014 Eileen Blass

 

Want to dramatically improve your pictures? It’s really not that hard. These six tips can make a huge difference in your results.

1. Get down on your dog’s level.
One of the best ways to improve your pictures is to change your angle. Get down on the ground, eye to eye with your dog for a change. You can even try to put the camera on the ground and aim it up at him. There’s nothing like a fresh perspective. Change it up.

2. Have a camera wherever you are….always.
How many times have you watched your dog do something adorable and your smartphone is in the car, or in the purse or your camera is on the shelf in the basement. The moment is gone. Be ready and be fast.

3. Look for pretty light.
Mornings and evenings are best for making nice pictures, when the sun is low, the shadows are long and the color of the light is warm. The time just before dusk, when the sun casts golden light is my favorite time of the day for making pictures of my dogs. It’s ‘golden hour.”

4. Use natural light whenever you can.
A window can produce dramatic lighting whether you are creating a silhouette or a side lit portrait of your dog. I’ll talk more about lighting in a separate post.

5. The best pictures are those that happen naturally.
Trying to set your dog up to take a picture can turn into a comedy routine. Find your best pictures in little moments that are spontaneous. And refer back to tip #2.

6. And finally…don’t shoot vertical video.
If you want to make a video of your dog, turn your smartphone horizontally. Remember, television is horizontal. YouTube videos are horizontal. Turn it around 😉

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Photography, Resources Tagged With: camera, natural light, photo tips, video

Comments

  1. Connie says

    December 14, 2014 at 11:30 pm

    Excellent information. I love it!!

    Reply
    • Eileen Blass says

      December 14, 2014 at 11:35 pm

      Thanks, Connie. There’ll be many more photo tips to come.

      Reply
  2. Dawn Rinchiuso says

    December 14, 2014 at 11:49 pm

    This site is a great idea! Especially since I have a new fur baby coming.. I could use all of the good tips I can get. Thanks Eileen!!

    Reply
    • Eileen Blass says

      December 15, 2014 at 12:27 am

      And we can’t wait to see all those pictures of your beautiful new arrival, Dawn 🙂

      Reply
  3. Diane welch carrier says

    December 14, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    Thanks for the tips and offering up your expertise!! LOVE all the photos of your boys!

    Reply
  4. Rachel Hay-Wenn says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:00 am

    Thank you for sharing these tips Eileen – really love your photos – and appreciate advice from someone who knows!

    Reply
  5. Celeste says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:03 am

    Great info!
    Awesome tips I think this site will be awesome

    Reply
  6. Paddyspetz says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:16 am

    Hi. Love this!! Thanks! Paddy (I will share with my Irish Setter folk too)

    Reply
  7. Mary Schwalm says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:21 am

    I do hope you can stress tip #6 as often as possible! So excited for this fun!

    Reply
    • Eileen Blass says

      December 15, 2014 at 12:26 am

      Thanks, Mary 😉

      Reply
  8. Peggy Dixon says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:23 am

    Nice job!
    But in photographing Berners there is probably one other useful trick: remove dog hair from lens 🙂

    Reply
    • Eileen Blass says

      December 15, 2014 at 12:25 am

      Hahaha, Peggy. Absolutely true. Also. remove dog hair from coffee cup before picking up camera.

      Reply
  9. Teresa says

    December 15, 2014 at 12:23 am

    Look forward to your tips – can never get too much information when it comes to my pups and pictures.

    Reply
  10. Kathy Sibley says

    December 14, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    Great tips. Of course, I know the best way to get great pictures of my Berners would be to invite you over for a long weekend. Ha!

    Reply
  11. Kristi Ross says

    December 14, 2014 at 11:10 pm

    Thanks for the tips!
    I love seeing your pictures.

    Reply
  12. Kelly says

    December 15, 2014 at 1:39 pm

    Very helpful hints…especially the video, I never thought of it that way! Going to test out videos and pictures today! Because I don’t have ENOUGH pictures of Daisy! (Lol!!)

    Reply
  13. Patricia Barber says

    December 16, 2014 at 8:50 pm

    I read them all! and I totally respect everything you have written because you take the best dog pictures ever! I love Merlin/Teddy!

    Reply
  14. Ruth Taylor says

    December 17, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    Love the photos and the photo tips Eileen, Think this will be a great site!!!!!

    Reply
  15. B.Piroth says

    January 15, 2015 at 7:56 am

    Hi, now I will follow your tips, too !
    Thank you !

    Reply
    • Eileen Blass says

      January 15, 2015 at 8:20 am

      Welcome!!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most popular

  • Guide to buying a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy 53k views
  • 5 must-have grooming tools every Berner owner needs 19.8k views
  • Six steps to a successful therapy dog test 6.1k views
  • How to pick the perfect Berner puppy for you [Video, Part 1] 5.1k views
  • Bloat! Confessions of a helicopter dog mom 4.3k views
  • Take 3 Berners, add snow and you get FUN! [Video] 3.1k views
  • 21 Ways to Take Great Pictures of Your Dog 2.6k views
  • How to trim a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy’s fuzzy head [Video] 2.3k views
  • Creating the Bernermobile! The transformation of a minivan 2.2k views
  • 6 fool-proof ways to shoot great dog show photos 2k views

Search BernerWise

What’s happened lately

  • ‘The Important Stuff’ – A reminder for dog owners who compete
  • Eileen’s First Aid Kit for Dogs: How to put one together
  • TATTOO or not TATTOO? . . . or am I just completely nuts?
  • 21 Ways to Take Great Pictures of Your Dog
  • So, you want to have a show dog … and show her yourself

Copyright © 2021 All Rights Reserved. Reproduction Prohibited Without Permission · www.BernerWise.com · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.