Autumn is my favourite time of year. I’m so over Summer, in fact I can happily skip Summer every year. For me, Autumn and Winter are my seasons.
Autumn, in particular, provides a spectacular backdrop for photos of your dogs. The sun (if it’s out) is lower, the trees are changing colour everyday, the temperature is so much more enjoyable for dogs.
Which means better photos. In fact I can guarantee that any photos you take of your dogs at this time of year will be amongst your favourites.
As long as you set them up right, of course.
Here’s my tips for you:
🍂📷 Pick your location carefully. Ideally you would already know the spot you want. You may have spotted a tree or shrub already changing to a spectacular colour.
🍃📷 Select the time of day for placement of the sun. As it’s lower you will get longer shadows, which ideally you want behind your dog. But that also means you need to be careful to keep your shadow out of shot too.
🍁📷 If you are planning on getting a photo that you want to put in a frame or canvas then think about removing your dog’s head collar or harness if they have one. This is particularly important if you want to get a striking photo that highlights your dog’s coat. Then pop it back on after you have finished your photo shoot.
🍂📷 Don’t leave it till the end of your walk. Half way through your walk is perfect. This gives your dog a chance to enjoy being outside and calming down if they are excitable. It also means that your dog won’t be too tired and won’t have its tongue hanging out.
🍃📷 You are probably going to have to tempt your dog in to a pose so take treats (good ones like cheese, cooked chicken or hot dogs.) A squeaky toy or a whistle is helpful to get your dog looking at you. And lots of praise, be prepared to use your squeaky, high pitched Mary Poppins voice!
🍁📷 If you have an IPhone, use the live function or the burst button. Take loads and then select your best, there will be one in there! These are particularly useful if your dog is a wriggler! I’m sure android phones have something similar.
Enjoy your photo shoot, but don’t make it too lengthy. Keep it fun and light hearted. All these photos were taken on mobile phones. The only editing done on them is some cropping
Love, Sally xx
Sally Cousins is a self confessed mad dog lady!
After being mum to several rescue dogs she decided to turn her passion in to her career and set up her own dog walking business back in 2015.
Sally not only runs her business, she also writes for her own blog and also does guest blogs for other dog businesses. You can also find Sally chatting as a guest on dog related podcasts.
