5 non techy camera phone tips for taking a better photograph of your dog

Teaching your hounds the wait command can really help improve your images.

1. Okay, I’m cheating slightly as this one doesn’t even involve a camera! By teaching your dog a basic wait command, it means you can take a few steps away from your dog and frame the image without having to rush. It’s a super simple process if you don’t already know it – all you need to do is ask your dog to wait while you are standing still, wait a few seconds and reward, build up the seconds, then eventually take a step back and repeat. Before long, you should be able to take a few steps back, and if you progress, even walk away.

2. Watch your background. How many times have you taken a lovely portrait of your dog only to find he has a tree for a hat? This is such a simple one but can make a huge difference. Before you press to take the photograph, check: is there anything accidentally growing out of your dogs head – a lamppost, a bin, a bush, a doorframe?   Can you move around slightly to make sure that the background is clear. Same with horizon lines (where the earth meets the sky), is it cutting through your dogs head

3. Get down to your dogs level – if that means lying down, give it a try, as long as you are able to get back up again, I have to admit, I’m finding this harder. A crouch down will do the job as well. This way you get the image from a dogs eye view. Maybe take a photo from your normal level and then as low as you can so that you can see the difference.