New Dog Parents
We all love to shoot and share images of our dogs. From still photos to video, it’s all a great way to share some of your most treasured and entertaining family moments with the world. From building a family photo album to broadcasting with a much larger audience, photos and videos of your dogs chronicle your life and document the most important and touching moments. Some people have even turned this passion into a profitable business on social media. Whatever the motivation, and whether it’s still shots or video, it’s all more fun when it turns out well. We love nothing more than seeing heartwarming, entertaining, and inspiring snippets of happy dogs bringing their best for the camera. And we’re especially honored when it’s all shared online in our “Show us you Cuties” portal on the website: cuties.frommfamily.com
From preparation to shooting, and editing and sharing, there are a few basic tips that will make your photos and videos even better.
Anticipate what you’d like to see. Having an idea of what might or should happen, and planning ahead increases your chances of capturing the action or pose that you hope for. Many dogs have special tricks, or funny routines that you can anticipate. Perhaps there’s a regular hiding spot, or a toy they react to in a fun way.
Having treats handy can make the whole process much more fun for everyone. We like to give treats as much as they love to get them, and happy dogs are cute dogs. Who knows, photo time might become the favorite part of the day! Be sure to have lots of positive rewards for the behavior you seek and be equipped with several options to keep their attention and interest.
Be sure to keep an eye (and ear) on what matters most – your dog. A clean, clear background avoids distraction, so do what you can to keep your dog the focus of the shot. If you’re shooting video and there’s a lot of background noise, replacing the distracting audio with music can be a fun way to add an interesting tone and feeling to the clip. Just remember that viewers – and your dog – can easily lose focus if there is anything competing with them in the scene. We want to keep our dogs the center of attention.
Natural lighting offers a clean, well-balanced look, and can help avoid the shock of a flash or harsh artificial lights. Indoors, you can often use big windows to produce great, dramatic lighting. When shooting at night, or when additional light is needed, use as much of your normal indirect light as possible to give the shot a warm, comfy look.
It’s best to get down on your dog’s level rather than shooting from overhead. Get as close as you can and focus on the face and eyes. It can make the photo much more personal and expressive and makes it much easier to capture the emotion and personalities we all love. We want to see our dogs as members of the family and getting on their level makes them much more engaging – and every image more compelling.
Once you find your shot, experiment with other perspectives. You may find some different angles that are unique and fun. And as you experiment, you may also be able to use the focal length of your lens to isolate and selectively focus to blur backgrounds and further define your subject.
Be sure to keep positive energy flowing. This can be talking with your dog by encouraging and praising the behavior you desire. Dogs want to please you and can read your emotions. Remember to keep this a happy experience for all involved. Often a helper can assist with directing and engaging the dog while the cameraperson focuses on capturing it all.
When shooting still images, shoot more than you think you’ll need. Some of the best moments happen when you least expect it. You may have “live”,”burst” or “continuous” modes to choose from on your camera or phone. Use them generously and you may discover that you’ve captured some hidden gems. And when it comes time to select the shots you want, you can always (and should) discard the extra stuff that isn’t as good. You will likely have a LOT of good material to choose from, so be picky.
When shooting video, shoot early and often, and capture as much as you can. Then edit down to the good stuff, and keep your final video short and sweet. One or two minutes is a long final video if you plan to share on social media. Adding music or a voice over can add continuity and interest in pulling the whole piece together.
You can’t always plan for the sweetest shots or best footage. It pays to keep your camera or phone handy. Much like children, dogs have a way of doing the funniest and most charming things in moments that pop up.
Have fun and share your great work. Almost everyone (at least the people worth knowing) loves to see great photos and videos of animals looking cute, being funny, doing cool things, and showing off. Your audience is huge – and appreciative. You may even have the next internet star right in your own home.
We all love to see happy dogs being themselves and having fun. And no one loves it more than we do. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Please feel free to share your videos and images with us at cuties.frommfamily.com.
From our family to yours,
Fromm Family Pet Food
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