Dog Photography: Hands-Free Camera Strap

Not too long ago we posted about one of our favorite camera accessories for taking photos indoors and in low-light settings.  We also have a favorite camera accessory that we use when taking photos outdoors at the park or while on a walk.  The Black Rapid RS Sport camera strap is the PERFECT accessory that allows us to be as hands-free as possible when getting action shots of Athena.

Hands-Free Photography:

It's already hard enough to juggle Athena and all of her accessories when we go to the park or out for a walk, so a gigantic camera is not something that we also want to worry about lugging around with us.  B went on the hunt to find a hands-free camera strap that would allow us to take our camera with us on our outdoor adventures, but wouldn't weigh us down.  He found the Black Rapid RS Sport camera strap, and although you still have to use one hand to click to take a picture, it's as hands-free as we're going to get!

Fancy Features:

The fanciest feature of this strap is that it has a metal fastener that attaches to the bottom of the camera allowing it to essentially hang from the strap.  The first time that I tried out the strap, I was afraid to let go of the camera in fear that it would disconnect from the fastener and break into a million pieces on the  floor.  Once I finally let go, I realized just how secure the camera is on the fastener even though it really is just dangling at my side.

The strap is great for getting quick action shots of Athena, especially when she's running after her ball at the park.  When we see her silly face running towards us, we simply slide the camera up the strap and click!  B's favorite feature of the strap are the two "stoppers" that allow him to choose where he wants the camera to hang so that it's easier to freely move the camera for getting the perfect picture.  The shoulder strap is also very comfortable and has thick memory foam padding.

See it in action:

Here's a little video that I took of B demonstrating the use of the camera strap (it also shows some of Athena's best training commands in action).  As you will see, we are at the park playing ChuckIt! with Athena.  B is able to launch a ball, interact with Athena, and take a few photos all at the same time!

And here are a couple of photos that B got during the photo shoot featured in the above video:

What's your favorite camera accessory?  How do you manage to get good action shots of your pooch?

Dog Photography: Shooting Indoors and in Low-Light

These photos were taken within 5 minutes of each other, indoors, at night, and are all SOOC

Since getting our DSLR a few months ago, we have learned so much about photography (though we are by no means experts...just visit Kate with a Camera, Love and a Six Foot Leash, and Peace, Love and Fostering for that).  We have captured quite a few wonderful photos of Athena with our new camera, but the good ones always seem to be taken outside in the daylight.  Like many DSLR newbies, we've struggled to get good photos indoors, especially in low light settings (like during the evening hours when Athena seems to do the cutest things).  But, we think that all of our YouTube video watching and tutorial reading has helped us to figure out the mystery of how to take good photos of dogs indoors in a low-light setting.  Of course we wouldn't want to withhold these secrets from our lovely blog readers, so here's the scoop on how to photograph your dog indoors.

No Flash = Bump up the ISO:

Some of the best advice that we've received while learning how to take better photos has been to turn off the flash.  However, this advice doesn't hold true when taking photos indoors and at night.  The above photo was taken with no flash.  Because of this, I had to bump up the ISO to the highest possible amount (which for our camera is 6400).  The higher the ISO, the lower the quality of the photo (i.e. more noise a.k.a. grain).  I HATE grainy photos.  I cringe at my own photos that have any hint of graininess to them.  Along with being just plain yucky, the above photo also doesn't properly reflect the colors of Athena or her surroundings and is just plain dull.

Flash = Alien Eyes:

For the most part, we never, ever, ever, take any photos of Athena with the flash on.  However, the flash can sometimes be the only option when taking photos indoors with low-light.  Buttttttt, did you know that using the flash actually turns your dog into an alien?  Yep, it's true.  The flash is the culprit behind those pesky green alien eyes that dogs sometimes have in pictures.  You can see from the photo above that our dearest Athena is indeed an alien from outer space.  She also looks rather bright and a bit too shiny for her own good (you can also see the reflection of the flash on the Kong, and the harsh shadows near Athena's left ear).  The flash is definitely an improvement from using no flash indoors at night, but it's not necessarily the best option for getting good photos.

Lightscoop = Bright & Natural:

I first discovered the geniusness of the Lightscoop from Kate with a Camera's post about her favorite camera accessories.  In essence, the Lightscoop is a light diffuser that uses the power of the camera's pop-up flash to bounce light off from the ceiling or wall.  This creates photos that are soft, natural, and true to color.  The Lightscoop is the PERFECT remedy for dark, indoor settings.  I used to give up on taking photos of Athena indoors at night because I knew that they would turn out horrible.  Now I look forward to our evening photo sessions because the Lightscoop is so quick and easy to use and the photos turn out wayyyyy better than using the flash (or no flast at all).

Here are some other photos that we've taken in the evening, indoors, using our Lightscoop:

So, what exactly is a Lightscoop?

Well my friends, this here is a Lightscoop.  It's simply a plastic thing-a-ma-bob that covers the pop-up flash of your camera to magically bounce light off from a ceiling or wall using a mirror.  To be honest, the Lightscoop is quite large and bulky, but it does it's job really well.  It's also not meant for our version of camera (Canon Rebel T3i), so I had to do some internet research to figure out how to get it to work properly on our camera (I'd be more than happy to assist you in this department if you would like).  Overall, I have been extremely happy with this $30 camera accessory, because let's be honest, the only real reason we got the camera in the first place was to take pictures of Athena, so the pictures better be good!

B modeling the use of the Lightscoop

Check out Kate with a Camera's post on a very similar subject for more ideas on how to improve your indoor/low-light photography of your dogs!

No Lightscoop?  No problem!

Before receiving the Lightscoop for Christmas, I was using a couple of different homemade light diffuser ideas curtesy of my Pinterest photography board.  The pictures that I took using these diffusers did come out nicely, especially compared to the flash and no flash versions.  So, if you're not quite ready to commit to the Lightscoop, you may want to see if you like a light diffuser first.  Here's a list of very high-tech diffusers that will do the job:

• White plastic shopping bag (pop up the flash and cover with the bag)
• White business card (see the link for a how-to)
• White sock (pop up the flash and cover with the sock)

If you're looking to get better at photography, or if you're unsure of some of the terminology used in this post, check out this video on the basics of exposure and photography, a great introduction to taking photos indoors and in low-light settings.

Do you have any of your own tips for photographing dogs indoors?  Do you have any "dog specific" photography questions that you'd like us to tackle?  Let us know!

Dog Photography: Totally Obsessed

Sorry to go all photography obsessed the last few days, but what can I say?  I'm TOTALLY lovin' our new camera!  So far I've been able to find a few photos from each of my photography "sessions" that are worthy of sharing publicly.  I will admit though, some of the photos that I've taken are horrendous and truly show that I actually have no idea what I'm doing behind the camera.  But, I'm working on improving my skills and learning some things about photography along the way.

Below are some of the pictures that I have captured in the past few days:

Thanks to everyone's advice yesterday, I worked with Athena on an indoor photo training session using some yummy treats to keep her attention.  She did really well when I held a treat in my left hand above the camera and asked her to "stay" while I took some pictures.

My next step is to learn to use Photoshop or Lightroom editing software to improve the pictures that didn't turn out so perfect SOOC (Straight Out of the Camera).  See, I'm even learning how to use photography lingo!

Dog Photography: Pouty Face

Remember when we went to Doggie Palooza with Emily from Our Waldo Bungie a couple of weeks ago?  Well, since then I have been checking my e-mail inbox every day in hopes that our Spot Magazine holiday photo would arrive.  I just knew that Athena's picture would showcase her signature "pouty face" look because she was not at all interested in climbing up onto a stage and posing for holiday pictures.

I was super excited when I finally received the photo yesterday and couldn't wait to share it with you all.  As expected, Athena didn't disappoint in the pout department.

I am also featured in the picture because Athena wouldn't stay up on the stage unless I sat next to her.  Looking at this picture makes me wonder how our Christmas photo shoot will turn out in the coming weeks.  I guess I need to start putting our new camera to good use and get Athena acclimated to being a star in front of the camera!

Any suggestions for successful dog photography sessions?  How can I get Athena to turn that frown upside down in front of the camera?