Focus
When Tilly sets her eye on something...
When Tilly sets her eye on something...
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Aug, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in bed,Time
about 11pm, just as we were settling in for the nightLighting
I love working with "found" lighting and this was taken with the glow from the laptop screen in an otherwise dark room. As a dog behaviourist and avid photographer I always have a dog, a camera and a dog treat of some description with me so when I spotted the light glowing off her ears I lured her into position and went for itEquipment
This was taken on an iPhone 6+, flat on hand, using the front camera and the side shutter release. I often use that for candid close up dog shots as it's less invasive psychologically for the dog, especially this one who is barely bigger than my Canon 5D, and it's also physically possible to get it to places where the large format camera simply cannot reach.Inspiration
I'm always on the lookout for new, unusual or exceptional lighting and shapes and this just ticked every box, including perfectly showing the character of this perky, inquisitive, happy, food-obsessed little dog. I have many photos of her but this is definitely my favourite.Editing
Just a little tinkering in the iPhone, no special apps. Moved the black point a smidge and cropped just a fraction to get the eye in the right place.In my camera bag
I always have my iPhone, in my bag, pocket or tucked in my bra. Failing that, in my hand. I feel lost if I don't have the facility to take some sort of photo somehow. Then I usually have my Canon 5D mk1, which has served me well since bought on the day of release but is soon to be upgraded to the mk3. It always has either the Canon 24-105 zoom lens, or the 100-400. I prefer zoom as I tend to jump about photographing everything from dogs playing to close ups of plants or birds flying, landscape and macro all at once. Though you lose some quality with the zooms, I get the best I can afford and it beats having to carry 4 cameras each with a different fixed length. I've recently invested in a Canon 300mm fixed length with 1.4 extender for bird photography, but have not quite come to terms with it yet, I think we will be eyeing each other from opposite ends of the photography room for a while before it becomes a regular part of the kit. Of course I always have at least three charged batteries, a couple of spare cards, lens cleaners and a spare clear filter in case of dirt.Feedback
They say never work with children or animals, yet it's really just a matter of knowing your subject and, in the case of photography, knowing your equipment. Getting dogs to pose naturally is not so easy so the trick is to think ahead and set up situations where they will act in a predictable way and having the camera ready. Of course, they are living creatures so no matter how well you know them they may just not do what you expect so always be ready to catch the photo you were;t anticipating as well as the one you were trying for. I am always on the lookout for potential photographs no matter what I am doing so when I saw something close to a good image in front of me, it was the work of a moment to position the camera, ready to go, lure her into the right spot and click. I didn't worry too much about perfect composition, better to have to tinker a little than to miss the shot entirely - there's only so much repetition a dog will put up with. Because I photograph her a lot though, and don't mind taking rubbish shots to try things out, I already had a pretty good idea which angles are good on her and was able to pick the one most easily accessible in the moment. To achieve something similar in the studio, with my 5D, I would set everything up without the dog present, using sturdy clamps and a toy dog for positioning and focussing, and operate the camera with an iPhone app. If using different levels and expecting the dog to stand on something above the camera, I'd spend a little time training the dog to do that happily for treats before introducing, or uncovering, the camera.
