Dog Photography Tips

[justin220]

Morning all, hoping you can help.

I'm trying to get some good (sharp!) action shots of our golden retriever when he's running around, playing etc but seem to be struggling to get them tac sharp.

I'll post up a couple of examples in a minute but I wondered if anyone has any tips?

I've generally been using my 18-300 to give me good range, and using shutter priority at around 1/1000-1/1600, auto ISO and f5.6 ish.

He moves quick, but even when he's walking I'm finding some of it out of focus. It it a focus issue? Is spot focus and continuous focus better options?

Thanks for any help

[Thats What She Said]

Yes it will be a focus issue.

I dont know what focal length you are shooting at, but at f/5.6 you could be getting as little as 1-2 inches of focus.

Try stopping down a bit to f/11 and reducing the focal length a touch.

[justin220]

Thats What She Said said:

Yes it will be a focus issue.

I dont know what focal length you are shooting at, but at f/5.6 you could be getting as little as 1-2 inches of focus.

Try stopping down a bit to f/11 and reducing the focal length a touch.

Thanks, I did think that. Would spot focus help? I did wonder if it might limit me somewhat as he moves around? I'll have another play around today.

A few examples, taken over a few months. I shoot in RAW but uploaded these in JPEGs

This was the two of them running at full speed so I wasn't expecting much.

Louis by justinking1986, on Flickr

Louis by justinking1986, on Flickr

Louis by justinking1986, on Flickr

This is probably a good example of the issue I'm having. He's not moving very quickly, but seems i've missed focus

Louis by justinking1986, on Flickr

[justin220]

Last one.

Louis by justinking1986, on Flickr

[eltawater]

Your photos are private on flickr so we can't see the EXIF data if it's available.

Where does your focus point get highlighted on these images? Assuming this is a Nikon you can see it in viewNX or within the camera preview itself if you enable it in the settings. Are you spot focusing at all and what happens if you set the shutter speed to 1/2000 ?

[Thats What She Said]

justin220 said:

This is probably a good example of the issue I'm having. He's not moving very quickly, but seems i've missed focus

It looks as though the focal point is on his rear legs. It may have been on his head, but when you hit the shutter release, he would have moved out of focus whilst walking fowards.

One way to remedy that is to use a shorter focal length and shoot at a higher f stop so that more of the dog is in focus.

Another option is to select a single (or small group) focal point in your camera and focus on the dogs head. Modern cameras are great in that they will try and guess what you would like to be in focus, but they dont always get it right. So sometimes you need to do the work for them.

[justin220]

Apologies that should be them public now..

Never knew about that focus point info, I'll have a look thanks.

Away out just now to try a few more, will try 1/2000

[TartanPaint]

On the first one, look at the grass/stubble in the field. Where is it sharpest? Looks to me like it's in focus just in front of the dogs. I think you missed.

Have a play with an online DoF calculator for your sensor/lens combo and see what you can reasonably expect. I suspect you already have done this, but it might surprise you just how shallow the DoF is, and remember that's in front and behind the sweet spot, so really you've got half that range to play with in terms of accuracy when shooting.

On that last one, which is much less zoomy and much smaller aperture (I guess) you've got a much larger DoF, so you've got everything in focus, and so the subject is sharper.

Remember also (although I'm not saying this is an issue above, just a reminder) you've got two types of motion blur to eliminate; subject motion and camera shake. Fast shutter speed is required, as you know, but don't forget a steady hand. For 300mm and moving targets, I'd use the washer on a string trick. You tie a string to your camera, tie a washer or weight to the other end, trap the washer under your foot and adjust the string length to be just enough to get the camera to your eye when the string is tight. It gives you something to pull against (the way a monopod gives you something to rest on, except using tension instead of compression). I love that trick because it's so easy to carry so you're never without it.

Consider the direction of travel of the subject. If they're running sideways and you're panning horizontally, you'll have more success than if they're running towards you at speed. Of course, to see their faces, it's those difficult shots you really want. Don't forget to take a mix of shots at least you won't come home with nothing to keep if the tough ones go wrong. Get a few static portraits of them sitting nicely too, so you never feel like the day was wasted just because you didn't get a keeper of them running in focus.

Also, don't think that the pros don't use burst mode. Spray and pray!

[Gad-Westy]

So many variables here and many different ways to approach it. but this is my own take using Nikon DSLR's. I'm now on Fuji where things are different again but...


1. Camera focus mode set to AF-C so focus continues to track movement rather than freezes once camera thinks it's got focus.
2. Focus activation set to AF-On and de-activated from the shutter button, with AF-c shutter priority set to 'release'. Known as back-button focusing or BBF. The idea here (among other things) is that you can keep the camera tracking your subject with the AF-On button and can hit the shutter button to capture a moment whenever you like.
3. Single point AF, on most cameras the focus points around the centre of the frame are most accurate, so I'd stick to those rather than worrying to much about composition at this stage. Worth mentioning that modern cameras have some great focus tracking options so by all means experiment but I always liked single point for knowing exactly what the camera is trying to do.
4. Your shutter speeds look okay and are nearly always a compromise depending on available light. You just have to experiment a bit on the day. I know people have mentioned shooting at f/11 etc but very often there just won't be enough light to make that viable and maintain a viable shutter speed. Worth experimenting though.

Worth mentioning that, AF performance can vary a bit between lenses but I'd be surprised if you couldn't get quite a good keeper rate with most modern zooms.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 16th May 11:01

[Simpo Two]

AF systems are complex and can have many different settings/options. Read the manual thoroughly to make sure you're using the best combination of points, tracking, ignoring other objects etc. On my D500 it's quite bewildering.

Second, the further up the tree your kit is, the better the AF will work. Fast moving objects and long lenses are demanding. You don't say what body it is but is an 18-300mm (ie not pro) lens a handicap in terms of speed/accuracy of AF?

[Gad-Westy]

Simpo Two said:

AF systems are complex and can have many different settings/options. Read the manual thoroughly to make sure you're using the best combination of points, tracking, ignoring other objects etc. On my D500 it's quite bewildering.

Second, the further up the tree your kit is, the better the AF will work. Fast moving objects and long lenses are demanding. You don't say what body it is but is an 18-300mm (ie not pro) lens a handicap in terms of speed/accuracy of AF?

D7200. AF on that body should be quite good. Not used an 18-300 but I'd assume AF should be okay enough in good light.

[justin220]

Gents,

Much appreciated you all taking the time to write such detailed replies. I've been out again this morning for some practice and just about to have a look through them just now.

I think one of the mistakes I've been making is not shooting in full manual. The Aperture or Shutter priority are fine, but they seem to make big changes to the other when adjusted, which probably hasn't helped..

[eltawater]

I think a switch to single point spot focusing would help a lot here, having either centre or slightly off centre dependent upon distance.

Back button focusing tends to be a more personal preference thing, I keep forgetting I have it switched on and end up forgetting to use it resulting in some blurry shots before I kick myself.

The focus on this one is ok:

https://flic.kr/p/267yJqw

whereas this looks like the auto focus wasn't engaged at all so everything is blurry.

https://flic.kr/p/267yHyw

The analysis of the focus point highlighting for these images will be the most revealing if the OP can share that when loaded into something like viewNX.


OP: Try these settings in manual mode
Single point spot focus
AF-C
1/1600 shutter speed
Auto iso sensitivity (max 800)
Aperture can be left at f/5.6 or whatever it is
Single shot mode (Not Continuous High burst mode)

Edited by eltawater on Wednesday 16th May 11:57

[Gad-Westy]

justin220 said:

Gents,

Much appreciated you all taking the time to write such detailed replies. I've been out again this morning for some practice and just about to have a look through them just now.

I think one of the mistakes I've been making is not shooting in full manual. The Aperture or Shutter priority are fine, but they seem to make big changes to the other when adjusted, which probably hasn't helped..

Unless you're finding that you're getting wild exposures (can happen with subjects that are very white or very black) I wouldn't worry too much about the metering mode. You need a fast shutter speed, the rest can just fall into line. Whether you achieve that that using shutter priority, or any other means doesn't particularly matter as the camera is still using the same meter to pick its settings. Full manual is fine if light is constant and your dog is always approaching from the same direction but suspect you'd find it frustrating. Manual with auto iso can be very useful but again it's just another way to skin a cat, doesn't look like exposure is your problem. So I'd say stick to figuring out your focus system first and worry about metering later.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 16th May 12:03

[Gad-Westy]

eltawater said:

Back button focusing tends to be a more personal preference thing, I keep forgetting I have it switched on and end up forgetting to use it resulting in some blurry shots before I kick myself.

I'm surprised you don't just use BBF for everything or nothing. I couldn't switch between the two. I'm very much in the camp of "once you've tried back, you'll never go back". Or something like that.

[justin220]

eltawater said:

I think a switch to single point spot focusing would help a lot here, having either centre or slightly off centre dependent upon distance.

Back button focusing tends to be a more personal preference thing, I keep forgetting I have it switched on and end up forgetting to use it resulting in some blurry shots before I kick myself.

The focus on this one is ok:

https://flic.kr/p/267yJqw

whereas this looks like the auto focus wasn't engaged at all so everything is blurry.

https://flic.kr/p/267yHyw

The analysis of the focus point highlighting for these images will be the most revealing if the OP can share that when loaded into something like viewNX.


OP: Try these settings in manual mode
Single point spot focus
AF-C
1/1600 shutter speed
Auto iso sensitivity (max 800)
Aperture can be left at f/5.6 or whatever it is
Single shot mode (Not Continuous High burst mode)

Edited by eltawater on Wednesday 16th May 11:57

Perfect thanks. Will try them out next. Out of interest, why not continuous mode? It looks like I didn't have the focus point recorded on the pictures but have changed the setting now so will do for the next set.

Gad-Westy said:

Unless you're finding that you're getting wild exposures (can happen with subjects that are very white or very black) I wouldn't worry too much about the metering mode. You need a fast shutter speed, the rest can just fall into line. Whether you achieve that that using shutter priority, or any other means doesn't particularly matter as the camera is still using the same meter to pick its settings. Full manual is fine if light is constant and your dog is always approaching from the same direction but suspect you'd find it frustrating. Manual with auto iso can be very useful but again it's just another way to skin a cat, doesn't look like exposure is your problem. So I'd say stick to figuring out your focus system first and worry about metering later.

Edited by Gad-Westy on Wednesday 16th May 12:03

Totally agree, seems to be a focus issue for me. I'm just digging through the pics from this morning so will post a couple (if they are any good) soon.

[toohuge]

Op - the d7200 af system is more than up to the job.... most of this will be down to technique rather than equipment.

As for af settings :
Af-c
Try ‘d9’ - as your dog is relatively large this grouping will give you a little more accuracy.

Set your custom control button on the back of the camera labeled ae/ae-l to af-on.

You can adjust your shutter priority to release as opposed to focus - but I’ve found you’ll usually end up with fewer usable images.

If you find you’re really struggling and keep picking up the background in focus - you could change the af sensitivity- so it holds onto your dog a little longer. - I adjust mine for fast moving subjects if I know something will enter the frame in between the subject and camera whilst tracking.

I usually shoot in aperture priority and leave the camera up to itself. Matrix metering usually works well - but if your dog is running through shadows - spot metering can give better results.

[eltawater]

Gad-Westy said:

eltawater said:

Back button focusing tends to be a more personal preference thing, I keep forgetting I have it switched on and end up forgetting to use it resulting in some blurry shots before I kick myself.

I'm surprised you don't just use BBF for everything or nothing. I couldn't switch between the two. I'm very much in the camp of "once you've tried back, you'll never go back". Or something like that.

I keep instinctively reaching for the shutter and forgetting I have to use the back button to focus first. Just one of those things

[justin220]

Thanks again chaps for the help. Very interesting and I think you're right, it's definitely technique rather than the equipment.

I'll just need to practice more and get used to the settings for moving subjects, and will try that AF ON mode.

Couple from today, which I think are better. Just JPEGs straight from the camera so could have done with a bit of PS'ing to get better, but they seem to be a small improvement.


Louis and Ralph by justinking1986, on Flickr

Louis and Ralph by justinking1986, on Flickr

Louis and Ralph by justinking1986, on Flickr

Louis and Ralph by justinking1986, on Flickr

[Gad-Westy]

eltawater said:

Gad-Westy said:

eltawater said:

Back button focusing tends to be a more personal preference thing, I keep forgetting I have it switched on and end up forgetting to use it resulting in some blurry shots before I kick myself.

I'm surprised you don't just use BBF for everything or nothing. I couldn't switch between the two. I'm very much in the camp of "once you've tried back, you'll never go back". Or something like that.

I keep instinctively reaching for the shutter and forgetting I have to use the back button to focus first. Just one of those things

It's a great way of ensuring nobody ever wants to borrow your camera. My wife hates it.