 Most dog photography is of dogs in “pet” mode. The photographer is using a relatively short lens and is interacting directly with the dog while shooting, often keeping the dog’s attention by waving a yummy treat in front of his face. This results in a photo with the dog looking towards the camera with total…  This handsome and elegant Smooth Fox Terrier is Dodger (CH J’Cobe Vigilante Justice), who swept the dog world off its feet in 2010 and retired from his American show career as the top dog in the country as well as the top-winning Smooth Fox Terrier of all time. Still very much in his prime,… 1 comment I love this picture. You got so much detail in the black face. Amazing!  In the photo for Quiz 2, most people thought it looked like the dogs were having a less-than-friendly encounter, more like fight than fun. The nature of the interaction becomes very clear when you can see the rest of the encounter. Below are about 50 photos shot over about 4 minutes, in sequence with the… no comments  The Chesapeake Bay Retriever is the quintessential water dog among the sporting breeds. It’s a sturdy dog with an even sturdier coat, and a non-nonsense approach to the task at hand. This is an American breed, developed to be masterful in the hunt of waterfowl. This is Coupe (GCh Quailridge’s Coupe De Ville), photographed at… no comments  These dogs are having a conversation. What do you think they’re saying? What do you think happens after this - a game or a fight? Please leave your thoughts below. 2 comments [...] If you haven’t already, have a look at Quiz 3. [...] Love your pics, got referred here by PDN shot of the day. Quiz answer below after the jump. Quiz: The white dog is asking the husky to chase him. The white dog has tail halfway up, ears back, mouth closed, leaning back on front legs standing square in front of the other dog. The white dog is declaring submission by body queues. The squaring up is a request for attention. The husky may not actually do anything, give chase, bark or respond in kind asking to be chased. The hackles on the husky plus the tail curl and standing straight up are declaring the dominance in the interaction. The mouth, ears, and head at a normal relaxed state suggest he’s not overally excited or aggressive about the whole thing. I’m guessing the Husky barks and moves around a little, while the white dog runs in circles around like a rabbit.  There were some great comments to the photo in Quiz 1 (you can read them here). Most people thought the dogs were playing based on body position and balance, tail carriage, the lack of tension in the face of the brown dog (no wrinkling on the muzzle), and the non-aggressive face of the dane and… 2 comments Thank you so much for sharing more of these two cuties playing! Hi Carol have just come to your site via PDN photo of the day. You have some wonderful images here, very impressed!  What about this one? Fun or Fight? Leave your thoughts below… —————— See the rest of the photos at Fun or Fight? Quiz 2 Redeaux! 5 comments if the boston didnt mean to pick a fight i think he did. the jack has a stiff body, piloerection and is launching himself, the pit seems to be picking up on the “fight vibes” and is preparing to retalliate. this will probably BE a fight if it wasnt already! the jack doesnt seem to amused! Fight. It might have started as fun, but the jack Russell’s heckles are up, his body is stiff and aggressive and his tail is pointing bolt upright. It is hard to judge from a single shot….play can easily turn into fight if one of the dogs oversteps the mark. If it is play, I would be looking to calm it down at this point! This quiz is great, looking forward to the feedback. Hope there will be more soon. If so, can you alert me by email. Thanks Warning…you got to close to my owner… or ‘your mom wears army boots’type interaction between the Boston and the Jack definitely fun. the pit and the boxer behind seem to want to get a piece of it too. the jack is playing  Welcome to the first “FUN OR FIGHT?” Quiz! (If you missed the Introduction to these quizzes, you can read it here.) These quizzes are going to test your understanding of dog behavior and communication. Below is a photo taken at a dog park. Decide whether the dogs are playing or fighting (or thinking about playing… 15 comments Fight! Thanks, Catherine. Okay, there’s one vote for FIGHT! What do the rest of you think? I´d say these dogs are playing. The reason I think this is how their bodies bodies are positioned, sort of off balance. If they were in a fight mode they would put more weight to the front part of their bodies. Also the big open mouth of the smaller dog while its throat is completely unprotected is a sign that this is not serious. The bigger dog shows no sign of being worried either – its face has no aggression. I love this quiz by the way, it is so fun to be challenged like this! One vote for fight, one vote for play. What about all those teeth??!!! I think they are playing. Their body postures, particularly that of the larger dog, look like play to me and their tails do not look frightened or aggressive. Play, their bodies don’t appear to be aggressive. I have to agree with play. The smaller brown dog (maybe pit mix) isn’t snarling. Though the teeth are bared, the face is relaxed and it’s tail looks to be wagging. Also the Dane doesn’t have it’s teeth bared and has left itself wide open for a vicious bite. It’s not in a defensive or take flight stance. They’re bouncing and bounding at play. fun. neither looks aggressive or defensive I think they are playing, but only cos I have been watching my 8 month old English springer spaniel dog play with an 18 month old ESS bitch in a very similar way those morning. A lot of ‘mouthing’ going on. When my older ESS dog (the dad / pack leader) has had enough of the play he growls at the two younger dogs, they immedately drop to the floor and go very still. The older dog is actually smaller than the other two and is still wagging his tail even when he tells the younger ones to pipe down with the noise. It does all look like rough child’s play sometimes and just like children, as soon as the boss dog’s back is turned, the play starts up again. definitely fun if it was truly a fight the other dog would have teeth bared too, also bodies postured side to front mean they are ok feeling vulnerable in a fight they wouldnt do that! I’d have to agree with the majority – it’s play, but if I did not know that brown dog, and the Dane was mine, I’d watch closely, as it looks like the brown dog could be indicating he’s had enough by baring his teeth, possibly snapping at the Dane, which is why it could be the Dane is suddenly pulling away, at least in one scenario. I’d also be thinking of stepping in if the Brown dog was mine, since I’ve learned from experience, you can’t rely on other dog owners to be on top of their dogs. And a big, goofy, “he’s only playing” dog can just as easily start a dog fight as the next dog. Great idea this quiz! We all can use help in developing skills to read dog behavior better — especially if you live in a big city and deal with all kinds of dogs all day long! OH – and the photos are stunning! [...] Redeaux 6 January 2012 There were some great comments to the photo in Quiz 1 (you can read them here). Most people thought the dogs were playing based on body position and balance, tail carriage, [...] Definitely playing. Their bodies are actually relaxed and almost in some form of dancing. The muscles don’t carry any tension of a real fight Most definitely Fun – final answer! That Great Dane is a playful pup! The Dane is showing some taunting and respect at the same time. In a fight – both dogs go head to head – teeth to teeth with violence and ears back It’s play – at least for the Dane. I absolutely love the ridiculous look on the face of the Dane – he actually looks a bit surprised at the ferocity or perhaps the speed or angle or body contact of the smaller dog. The Danes flews are loose, which means his lips and his jaw are relatively relaxed during this interaction. While it is definitely not a fight and is occurring in the context of playing, My guess is that the smaller dog is also bringing a bit of frustration into the game…maybe because the smaller dog cannot control that large Dane to the extent he/she would like to. Often play takes on a little bit deeper meaning for canines and sometimes they are also using play to define who gets to be in charge of other things – like the first drinker at the water bowl today. The rather relaxed shape of the smaller dogs commissure is also a hint that this is not a serious altercation. You can see the lips are not brought forward into a tight “C” shape, which is more what you would expect if this dog were serious. But, even if you didn’t know the intent of the smaller dog exactly, it is okay. You can read the intention from the reaction of the Dane, who is not too worried! How well do your understand dog behavior? Understanding what your dog is thinking, feeling, and trying to communicate can be harder than you think. If you don’t know what to look for in your dog’s behavior and body language, you might not be able to tell the difference between fun and a fight, or whether… 2 comments Hi, there is a really good article in this months national geographic about a military dog sled team in north eastern Greenland. Great photos and story about man’s relationship with dogs, dog and pack behaviour. Thanks for the tip, Louise. You can read that article here - Be sure not to miss the great photos -  The Herding Group is a hodgepodge of flashy breeds with charisma and coat (e.g., Bearded Collie, Rough Collie, Old English Sheepdog, Sheltie, German Shepherd), and “the rest” – understated, workmanlike, low-profile (in both senses of the term) breeds like the Australian Cattle Dog, Corgis, and Vallhunds. Among the latter, I’ve always had a soft spot… no comments  We think of photography as capturing “a moment in time”, but how long is a moment? With a fast enough shutter speed you can freeze action without blur, and the resulting photos can allow us to see events that happen too quickly to see with the eye. But the camera can also record events happening… no comments  Through the end of the year, you can get my 2012 Calendar at 50% off the regular price of $14.99 through Lulu. Use this Promo code when you check out: HOLIDAYSUPERSAVINGS355 no comments  My new 2012 Dog Calendar is hot off the press, featuring photos that will appear in my forthcoming book, DOGSPLAY: The Joy of Being A Dog (due out any day as well). These are wonderful photos of dogs having fun that I think you’ll really enjoy looking at over the next 12 months. You can… no comments  Dog – Black Russian Terrier – MOSKVORECHIE YASON – World Winner, Crufts Winner, Interchampion, Champion of 34 Countries, 5x BIS, 40xCACIB, IPO-1 Russian Handlers 2012 Calendar – “Gothic and Lolita“. Photographs by Oleg Bochkov I first met the Russian dog photographer Oleg Bochkov at the AKC/Eukanuba show several years ago, and since then he’s been… no comments  Becoming good at anything requires time and effort. You might be born with natural talent, and that might allow you to get better faster and achieve a higher level of competence, but the path will still be uphill. Musicians and singers, painters and poets, all that achieve success got there by making a significant investment… no comments  The difference between a good photograph and a great one is often the little “tricks” used in the setup and camera work. I wanted to get a shot of Gavin (GCH CH Lakota’s Hitman Of Cantar) gaiting that would knock your socks off, and since we were near the beautiful beach in Ventura, CA I… no comments  I was digging through old photos looking for a particular image and I came across this one, shot almost exactly a year ago. This is Tawny (GCh Sporting Fields Bahama Sands) bred by Debbie Butt, and who was on the west coast for a show with her handler (and Debbie’s daughter) Amanda Giles. I love… no comments  Sally, my English Springer Spaniel (12.5 yrs), with a new friend (3 yrs?) she met at the local dog park. no comments  I’ve been away from my blog for awhile. Blogging takes creative energy, focus, and steady commitment, and I’ve been lacking all three. In my last post, I was so excited to announce what I thought would be the appearance of my first book of photographs, in the form of an eBook. Then my computer died,… no comments  I’m so excited to announce my first eBook of photography, DOGPLAY: The Amazing Ways Dogs Play, which will become available on 1 November on Amazon for (only!) $0.99. These are astonishing images – of teeth, tugs, nips, and bulging eyeballs (but especially TEETH!) – of dogs in their own world playing as dogs do, in the… 1 comment Congratulations To The Most Talented Photographer! 3 comments Skaistas bildes no suniem Nevis “no suņiem”, bet “no fotogrāfa” Great shot of great fun. [...] ever seen. If you’re a regular follower of my blog, you’ve seen a few of these in my HOW DOGS PLAY [...] 1 comment Eric in a wild moment…caught exposing himself to the woman of his dreams… but quickly defending himself from incoming danger. simultaneous, schizophrenic and heavenly agility rarely seen… another Beu-shot! two thumbs up! – four legs up! 2 comments This is Martha…aka Juno from our rescue in Kansas…Love your photos@ When is the book out? Martha, I mean Juno is half German Wirehaired Pointer and half German Shorthaired Pointer 3 comments perhaps an opponent not…? rather a curious tug or friendly manipulation of a new friend’s most pronounced attribute… to be taken as nothing more than playful gesture. Presumably, it (pulling one’s ear) must not be hurtful or disrespectful play..? as would be biting one’s nose or pulling one’s tail (practices rarely seem among the playful ranks). Note the eyes of the tugger trained on the eyes of the tuggee. looking for a metered response???? pushing the limit switch? or rather pulling. Great snag – a real Beu-shot, of a moment in dog play that the normal human eye misses. Sadly we can only project, not fully understanding the meaning, yet we see the dogs come back for more in a manner of switching roles, like tormentor to tormentee and back… all in a playful game… practice for battles not yet fought.. like children playing war (or house – involves manipulating ears in a different manner)… socialization 101. surely that’s not Sally’s ear? Dear Scary, I think it’s not that deep. They’re just playing, really. It’s Finn’s ear. No dog would dare pull on Sally’s (!) but Finn loves it. ouch! no comments 2 comments ¡El instante preciso! Bella fotografía. Saludos Thank you, Graciela!  I love photographing dogs outdoors in beautiful settings, but there are some great shots to be had indoors as well. I got this terrific shot of a Basset Hound at an indoor dog show last year. There were lots of spectators and I couldn’t find an open spot next to the ring where I could… 3 comments Carol, This is an awesome picture. Would I be able to purchase a print? Sure, Laura, I’m glad you like it! Send me an email and I’ll forward my price info. I have a Bassett Hound, Cheeca, who was the inspiration behind the title “The Flying Hound” my newly published novel. Glad to see other “Flying Hounds”. Love the pic!  Meet my friend Wooly Bully (GCh Lebull’s New Hope Wooly Bully). Bully (to his friends) is a French Bulldog, a breed that probably originated in England, where the English Bulldog was bred down to a size more suitable as a lap dog. Some of these smaller dogs were taken to France, and apparently it was… no comments  I was going to go forward from the last SHOOT THE DOG post on shutter speed to discuss aperture and how it can affect the look of your photos. But I took some photos at the dog park the other day that are great for illustrating the effects of shutter speed on action photography. 2 comments Carol, Love your lesson on speed control. Hope you are well. See you at the park. Mike Garza Thanks, Mike. I love questions, so if you have any please ask! Have you seen my photos from the dog park? Some REALLY funny stuff there!  In my last post to SHOOT THE DOG, you learned how the exposure meter of your camera works and why it sometimes does a good job of creating a properly exposed photo, while other times it doesn’t. I hope you’ve invested in a gray card to keep in your camera bag – I can’t think… 1 comment [...] was going to go forward from the last SHOOT THE DOG post on shutter speed to discuss aperture and how it can affect the look of your photos. But I took some photos at the [...]  The Wirehaired Pointing Griffon is a breed you don’t hear much about. It was devloped in Holland in the 1870′s by Eduard Karel Korthals, who wanted a hunting dog that would stay close to the hunter on foot, could hunt any game in any terrain in any weather, and would come home at the end… no comments  The Manchester Terrier might be the best kept secret in the Terrier Group. Handsome in an understated way, with a slick black coat and stylish mahogany tan accents on the head, chest, and legs, he is civilized – cuddly even – at home, but all terrier when he’s on duty keeping the grounds free of… 2 comments Very Zen. And perfectly applies to children photography. I love this picture Carol! It is a beautiful shot of an outstanding young dog. The thing I like best about it is that it is also an optical illusion. Is he facing away from us and looking to his left? or is he facing toward us and looking to his right??  If you’re working on improving your photography, you’ve been shooting 1,000 pics a week as I suggested in the first blog in this series (SHOOT THE DOG: Oh Romeo, Romeo), and hopefully you can now hit that shutter release with speed and precision even if the rest of the buttons and dials on your camera… 4 comments Are you using your exposure button or letting it happen with shutter button? Jan, I’m not sure what “exposure button” you’re referring to. For now, we’re just exploring the camera in full program mode, which might also be referred to as auto exposure. In this mode, the camera chooses the exposure settings automatically at the instant you depress the shutter release. There are usually several modes of auto exposure on most cameras – for instance, portrait, landscape, sports, night, etc, as well as a full auto exposure mode. These various modes have pre-programmed settings designed to provide adequate results in those particular types of situations. For example, the sports mode will set the camera to a high shutter speed to freeze action. Once we understand how the exposure meter works, we can learn how to adjust the exposure manually using the three relevant controls on the camera – the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO (sensor sensitivity). Very interesting. I always thought the gray card was mainly used for adjusting white balance. Jim – Yes, the gray card can also be used for adjusting white balance to eliminate color casts. I used to sometimes include a gray card in a photograph off to the side because it made adjusting exposure and white balance much easier in Photoshop. Now I use an X-Rite Color Checker Passport (~ $100), which is a board with a bunch of specific color patches as well as white, black, and a gradient of grays. A Photoshop plugin recognizes the Color Checker in an image and uses it to adjust color and exposure very precisely. For a lot of things I do it’s not worth the trouble because getting the color right isn’t a problem, but there are several breeds of dogs that I find very difficult to get the coat color correct – the Irish Setter (not really red, not really magenta, but …?), Norwich and Norfolk Terriers (not brown, not orange, but …?), some darker Golden Retrievers (not red, not orange, not brown, but …?). And it’s even worse if the dog is standing on grass, which reflects a green color cast on the dog that is almost impossible to remove and get back to the original color of the dog.  Hanging out at the dog park yesterday while my puppy burned off some energy, I shot some pictures just for fun. And I learned something about dogs that I didn’t know. Heck, maybe it’s even new to science. no comments  When you shoot a photo, you have to get the exposure right or you won’t get the shot you were hoping for. If you shoot in an automatic or program mode, most cameras now can do a pretty good job most of the time. But there are lots of situations where the camera makes the… 1 comment [...] my last post (SHOOT THE DOG: Total exposure), I asked you to go outside and do a little experiment that would help you understand how your [...] If you’re a student of photography, you will probably have heard of Henri Cartier-Bresson. He studied painting in his youth, but in mid-life he became interested in photography and went on to become famous for his candid images of ordinary life, the earliest form of street photography. He was especially fascinated in the camera’s ability… 3 comments How to you get the shot of the dog in action like that? I always miss the shot, My camera NEVER clicks when its suppose to, like a delayed action? Would love to know how to fix that, & THANK YOU! You didn’t say what kind of camera you are using, but I’m guessing it’s a compact camera rather than a D-SLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera. The notable feature of SLR cameras is that they use interchangeable lenses. Compact cameras are small, lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to use. You view the scene you are shooting on the LCD screen on the back of the camera in real time. They’re great for the average person who wants to take casual pictures of friends, family, events, etc. On most of these, when you push the shutter release, there is a slight delay before the camera captures the image, which can be very frustrating. SLR’s on the other hand, have a larger, heavier bodies, and they are more expensive. Most brands have many lenses available – wide-angle, zoom, telephoto, etc that can be used for specific kinds of photography. They have more sophisticated exposure metering, higher quality sensors, and now many can also shoot HD video. They have automatic program modes as well as full manual control. There is essentially no lag time between when you push the shutter release and image capture. I own both kinds of cameras – I can slip my compact camera in my pocket to have handy if I’m traveling or visiting with friends and family, but when I want to capture a high quality image I always use one of my SLR’s. I own professional quality equipment, but you can pick up a nice entry-level SLR body and lens for less than $1000. The top manufacturers are Nikon and Canon – both produce excellent gear and which brand a photographer uses is a matter of personal preference. [...] freeze the action of the black dog catching a ball above, the shutter speed I set on my camera was relatively fast, 1/400 [...]  Maverick (Am/Can Int’l CH Sterling Blunote Gambler, CGC) is a sturdy hunk of a Great Dane, 9 years old and still looks and acts like a teenager except for a light dusting of white on his muzzle. Proud owner Jeff Ball wanted some photos taken in NYC that would make the dog look great and… 2 comments That is an awesome picture of Strength and Grace and the car is fine because he looks 5 times bigger than it! I love tonal contrast. So good for so many things. Did you also apply it to dog besides area? Love this portrait. The pinkish tones cast through out ties it all together.  I was out with my dogs and camera at the dog park yesterday, and there was this very energetic Italian Greyhound racing at top speed from one end of the field to the other, over and over, back and forth. I took lots of shots with a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, and… 1 comment [...] the photo of the Italian Greyhound, my shutter speed was 1/40 sec; that is, the shutter was open 10 times longer in this photo than in [...]  If you spent a little time over the last few days pounding out your first assignment of thousand shots per week (you have, haven’t you?), then it’s safe to assume that you can now put that camera to your eye and find the shutter release (that’s the little button you push to take a picture)… 2 comments This is wonderful [...] these photographers will never be great because there is no craft in their work. Go read my post SHOOT THE DOG: Fundamental tools, as well as the others in this series. If you’re too lazy to read the manual and to invest [...]  This is the first of what will be a continuing series of posts about photographing dogs. I get lots of questions from people who ask how I captured a particular image, or what kind of lens I use, or if I think Nikon is better than Canon, or did I take photography classes, or whether… 4 comments we love you and our dogs love you too Carol, Thanks! [...] you’ve been shooting 1,000 pics a week as I suggested in the first blog in this series (SHOOT THE DOG: Oh Romeo, Romeo), and hopefully you can now hit that shutter release with speed and precision even if the rest of [...] [...] can improve your own photography by following the posts on my SHOOT THE DOG blog. I start with the very basics of operating your camera, then build on these essential skills [...] [...] Shoot a lot of photos. How many? Thousands a months, at least. Try to aim for 1,000 a week. The goal here is not to shoot perfect pictures (because most certainly will not be), but to [...]  The Irish Water Spaniel is one of the lesser known sporting dogs in the US, but those that know the breed understand that dogs can have a sense of humor – for them, life is Disneyland and is meant to be enjoyed every minute. With their curly coat, naked tail, and topknot falling over their… 2 comments Your photos are exquisite, and the stories of how you got the shot(s) add so much to seeing the whole picture. Thank you for sharing! Thank you, Vicki. I appreciate your kind words.  I just love the changing of the seasons in the eastern US, and you can’t beat Fall for providing a beautiful backdrop for some photography. So, when I found myself in Maryland just as the leaves were beginning to turn, I gathered up Alessandra Folz and her lovely Weimaraner Marge (Ch Colsidex Seabreeze Perfect Fit)… 3 comments Hi Carol, don’t know about anyone else, but photo 11 literally gave me chills. Gorgeous photo! Absolutely gorgeous pictures of a very lovely girl!  I first met Hector (Am/Can Ch Artizoe’s High Caliber) the English Setter shortly after he arrived in the US from his original home in Quebec, Canada. He already had his Canadian championship so was no novice in the ring, but his native (human) language was French; his new owner, Shirley Hoeflinger, was American and Hector’s… 1 comment The pic of Hector is breath taking! You caught him in your camera just PERFECT! And all the ads are fantastic. My absolute favourite is the one of Hector giving Carlos a hug, I know exactly how good that feels…makes me smile earlobe to earlobe. All the best from Finland  The papillon is named for the resemblance of their large, feathered ears to the wings of a butterfly. In fact, however, the modern papillon is derived from a toy spaniel with drop ears that was crossed sometime in the 19th century with another breed with prick ears (perhaps chihuahua?). Today, papillon litters can contain both… no comments  I don’t really like having to come up with a gorgeous photo under pressure. So many things can go wrong. I first saw Chanel (Ch Starline’s Chanel) as a 10 month old puppy when I spotted her in the ring at the Del Valle show, where she won the breed from the classes and took… 3 comments After reading the description of how she saw her owner and stood on her tippie toes I went back up and looked at the photo again. Reminds me of that scene in Somewhere in Time where Jane Seymour turns to see Christopher Reeve and smiles and the photographer snaps the photo. True love in her eyes [...] #1 hound, with Tawny right on her tail at #3. (You can see one of my portraits of Chanel here.) For whippet lovers it’s been a great year, and at the prestigious shows coming up in the [...] [...] is once again the lovely whippet Chanel, whom I have photographed many times. She’s one of my favorite subjects because, despite being a top-ranked show dog, her inner [...]  This is Lola (Ch Lebull’s Midnight Confession). I changed the backgrounds, fiddled with the lights, and pushed the little button on the camera. Lola did all the rest herself. Is she TOO CUTE?!! (Thanks to my friends Hal and Victoria Schmitt at Light Workshops in Los Osos, CA for their help and for graciously allowing… no comments |
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