Five Steps Toward Great German Shepherd Pictures

You don't have to be a professional photographer to take professional looking German Shepherd pictures. You could use an expensive professional camera or disposable camera to photograph your German Shepherd, but a digital camera works even better because it gives you the option of deleting your bad shots instead of paying to have them processed and printed. Digital photography also gives you instant gratification, and digital cameras are friendlier to the environment than disposable cameras. Your pictures can instantly be sent to friends and family or uploaded to your computer desktop for viewing whenever you want.

Photographing a pet can be full of problems. You have to get the dog to sit still and pose, and your dog probably doesn't understand your direction beyond the commands to sit and stay. There are lighting and backdrop issues to deal with, and you need to be sure you're shooting at the right level. Don't worry. I'm going to give you five great tips that will deal with all these problems and get you started taking fabulous pictures of your German Shepherd.

Tip number one is being prepared. Before you start taking your German Shepherd pictures, you should consult an equipment checklist. First, make sure you have a fresh memory card in your camera with plenty of storage capacity. You won't want to get a low memory message when your dog finally strikes the perfect pose. Start with fresh batteries, and keep a spare set handy. Decide whether you will take pictures of your German Shepherd indoors or outdoors, and secure the location if you decide to shoot outdoors. Make sure all your backdrops and props are ready and close at hand.

Tip number two is using an assistant. Trust me on this one. When you're trying to take great pictures of your German Shepherd, you can't also be staging the dog, posing the dog, chasing the dog, grooming the dog, lighting the dog – you get the idea. Ask a friend who likes dogs if they'd be willing to act as your assistant for a few hours and help you take pictures of your German Shepherd. With the German Shepherd's great personality, these photo sessions can be a lot of fun, and you can give your assistant a framed print of your German Shepherd as a thank you gift.

Tip number three is to plan your background. Select an area for your German Shepherd pictures. If you're taking pictures outside, you will find that the deep tan coat of the German Shepherd looks particularly good against green grass and a blue sky. With that in mind, you may want to use blue or green fabric as a backdrop if you are taking your pictures indoors.

Tip number four is to use toys to keep your dog engaged. Select a few colorful dog toys or a cute stuffed animal to include in your dog's pictures. If your German Shepherd is a puppy, the objects will help illustrate how small the dog is and make him or her look younger.

Tip number five is to get down on the ground. You should always photograph your dog from your dog's eye level, even if that means getting down on the floor or on the ground. If you can't get down low because of physical limitations, sit in a chair and hold your camera low when you take pictures of your dog, or try to place your dog on an elevated surface so you can photograph your dog at eye level. These five helpful tips will help you get the very best pictures of your German Shepherd.

Jan Ryan is a college professor whose lifelong love of German Shepherds led him to venture into animal photography. Plan your German Shepherd pictures in advance by loading your camera with fresh batteries and a new memory card. Get a friend to help you by staging your dog for pictures. Collect bits of German Shepherd information to use as captions for scrapbook photos of your dog.