laurahalfpennysanchez
FollowAt the beach, young Weimarener playing with older Springer Spaniel.
At the beach, young Weimarener playing with older Springer Spaniel.
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo has a high emotional value as it was taken with my two dogs, the young Nara, 8 months old and older Basil. It was taken in Bloemendaal aan Zee on a 1st April. I remember this because in the Netherlands you are not allowed to leave dogs off leash as of 1st April until October. The beach is ideal for dogs as they can play and run free in a huge expand.Time
I took this photo in the late morning, sometime around 10.00 am. The day was a bit grey and overcast, but with a beautiful soft light.Lighting
It was an overcast day and the light was very soft with no shadows. With the sun filtered through the clouds and the paler tones, this image has a bit of a tender touch.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D750 and Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR2. I kneeled to eyes level to take from a dogs' perspective.Inspiration
I wanted to photograph my dogs having fun together. The beach is a great place to focus on your subject with little competing elements. I shot several images from different angles and backgrounds. I chose this one because the sea breaks down the brown tones and adds a soft, peaceful contrast. They are running at the same pace and they are sort of intertwined.Editing
I use LR first for basic enhancements and do most of the post-processing on PS. I work with layers and curves/levels are the adjustments I use the most, together with any of the colour adjustments/enhancement tools.In my camera bag
It depends on the photos I am going to take. I also photograph wild life and with studio lights. Generally speaking I tend to take my Nikkor 70-200 2.8G as it is a fast lens and I love the shallow depth of field. I also take a 28-300 mm F3.5-5.6G as it is versatile. Sometimes I also take the Nikkor 85 mm F1.8 (my favourite lens). I have spare batteries too and the protection caps.Feedback
Capturing animals requires patience and knowledge about their behaviour. If you can anticipate you are one step ahead of the game. Before I take a photo, I observe, look around and watch what the dogs are doing. Try to have a picture in your head of what you are trying to shoot. If you want an action picture, first let the dogs unwind and run free, don't shoot first thing after you have arrived. They will be less excited after the first 15 minutes. Set the shutter speed at a 500-1000s minimum, the higher the better to freeze the scene. Smaller dogs may require higher shutter speed as they move their little legs much quicker and you may end up with a blurred picture. Another tip is to get down to their level. Shoot at eye level by dropping on your knees or lying down, I am only short so kneeling is enough. Use the aperture mode for action if the light conditions are changing to avoid overexposed or underexposed images. I usually have it all on manual as I like the control, but aperture mode is handy.