STEP BY STEP

Dial in settings for delightful doggy photos

1 Continuous burst mode

The first adjustment you should make is to use Continuous High burst mode. When the shutter release button is pressed your Nikon will fire off photos for as long as you hold it down, so you can pick the best shot from the sequence.

2 Continuous autofocus

Engage Continuous autofocus (AF-C) along with Single-point AF, set to the central autofocus point, and keep this trained on the dog’s face as it runs across the frame. The camera will refocus on the animal as it comes closer to you, resulting in more in-focus shots.

3 Fast shutter, narrow aperture

We shot in Manual at 1/320 sec for a fast enough speed to avoid motion blur from the running dog, and with an f/8 aperture for a decent depth of field, ensuring the Rupert’s entire body was crisp. It was getting dark, so we set ISO2000 to maintain a good exposure.

4 Get into position

Shoot from a standing position down at the dog and you’ll end up with plenty of ground, and not much else in your photographs. Crouch down – or even lie down on the ground on your belly – to get a hound’s-eye view of the world.

5 Purposely underexpose

If the light is falling, you’ll have two problems getting a balanced shot: pushing the ISO will increase noise and lower definition; widening the aperture means your dog may not be in focus. Try underexposing by a stop, to maintain the same settings, then boost exposure in post.

6 Avoid distracting backgrounds

Boring gravel pathways and dirty, messy tracks are uninspiring and distracting, so look for natural, grassy surfaces and uncluttered backdrops. Evening light really helps too – in the main shot (previous page) we can see the sunset falling over a glorious countryside vista.