Take Great Pictures Of Your Golden Retriever

Wouldn't it be great to have a picture of your beautiful Golden Retriever on a tee shirt, a sweatshirt, a screensaver, a mouse pad or a coffee mug? By following a few simple tips for taking outstanding Golden Retriever pictures, you'll be able to take high quality photos of your Golden Retriever with an inexpensive digital camera, a disposable 35 mm camera or even a camera phone.

Taking pictures of your Golden Retriever can be a fun activity for you and your dog to do together. The beautiful Golden Retriever breed, with its silky coat, is a natural subject for portrait photography. Your dog can look terrific in pictures whether you use the very latest in high-tech digital cameras or an inexpensive camera phone.

Taking digital photos can save you a ton of money over old-fashioned prints from 35 mm. film. With digital photography, you only pay for the pictures that you want to print. Blurry shots, overexposed frames, red eyes and other rejected frames all disappear into the digital trash can with a single click.

Prepare in advance for your Golden Retriever photo session. Before you start taking your Golden Retriever pictures, make a list of all the equipment you'll need. Make sure you put a fresh memory card in your camera with plenty of storage capacity so you don't get an annoying card full message when your Golden Retriever finally strikes that perfect pose. Start with fresh batteries.

Decide whether you'll take pictures of your Golden Retriever inside or outside, and secure the location if you decide to shoot outside. Check to be sure your props and backgrounds, if you are using them, are ready and close at hand. Have an idea of the different poses that you want to capture.

When you're trying to take great pictures of your Golden Retriever, you can't also be the one who stages the dog poses the dog, chases the dog, grooms the dog, lights the dog – see what I mean?. Ask a friend who likes your Golden Retriever, and whom your dog likes, to act as your assistant. After the photo session is over, give your helper a framed print of one of your Golden Retriever photos as a thank-you gift.

The Golden Retriever, with its shiny coat, looks best photographed against a dull background that does not reflect the light. Velvet or canvas makes great backdrops. Consider using a chromatic green backdrop, available at any photography supply site or store. With a chromatic green backdrop, you can add other digital backgrounds to your photo to add interest to your Golden Retriever pictures.

Whatever backdrop you use, it should be uncluttered so all the attention is focused on your dog. Props and accessories help enhance your dog's appeal. Use colorful dog toys are popular choices for props, as are stuffed animals, tennis balls or potted flowers.

Don't take Golden Retriever pictures while you are standing up. Get down to your dog's eye level, and then start taking pictures. Both your candid shots and the portrait style shots of your Golden Retriever will look better if the camera is at eye level with the dog.

With these quick, easy tips, you'll soon be taking professional quality pictures of your Golden Retriever.

Carol Matthews is a Golden Retriever breeder and freelance writer who has written four books on photography. Your Golden Retriever pictures will look better if you use interesting backdrops and photograph your dog at its eye level. After you photograph your Golden Retriever, information about a career in digital photography might interest you. Many Golden Retriever owners sell stock photos of their pets for use on advertisements, articles and calendars.