A friend and I took ourselves off on a photography course yesterday. We learnt "How to Photograph Dogs". You might think that is an easy thing to do and why on earth do I need to go on a course about it. Well let me tell you, it's not that easy.
The course was run by Nick Ridley, a well-known photographer of dogs here in the UK, and it was held in the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf HQ just outside High Wycombe. What an amazing place that is. Apart from the setting, I don't think I have ever been anywhere where the people were so incredibly friendly and welcoming. Perhaps it has something to do with working with the most amazing dogs. The work they do there is invaluable for the people who have need of their dogs.
But I digress. For all the photographs I've taken of my dogs, and there have been a few, I have failed miserably to capture any decent image of them moving. Very frustrating. Despite the weather conditions yesterday - it was seriously overcast and raining most of the time - by the end of the day I was able to capture images of dogs in motion. None of these are perfect by any means, they are not as pin sharp as they should be but at least I now have the necessary knowledge to put into practice on my own dogs. The weather also meant I was shooting at ISO 800 plus and the Nikon D70 I use does not, I have discovered, function at it's best at such speeds. The images were incredibly noisy and there has been some post-processing work to remove the noise.
The course was run by Nick Ridley, a well-known photographer of dogs here in the UK, and it was held in the Hearing Dogs for the Deaf HQ just outside High Wycombe. What an amazing place that is. Apart from the setting, I don't think I have ever been anywhere where the people were so incredibly friendly and welcoming. Perhaps it has something to do with working with the most amazing dogs. The work they do there is invaluable for the people who have need of their dogs.
But I digress. For all the photographs I've taken of my dogs, and there have been a few, I have failed miserably to capture any decent image of them moving. Very frustrating. Despite the weather conditions yesterday - it was seriously overcast and raining most of the time - by the end of the day I was able to capture images of dogs in motion. None of these are perfect by any means, they are not as pin sharp as they should be but at least I now have the necessary knowledge to put into practice on my own dogs. The weather also meant I was shooting at ISO 800 plus and the Nikon D70 I use does not, I have discovered, function at it's best at such speeds. The images were incredibly noisy and there has been some post-processing work to remove the noise.
And a few portraits too
I also now have some decisions to make about my camera. I love it and it's great to use but if I want to continue taking photographs of my dogs and other peoples, possibly to sell, I need to think about upgrading the camera. The problems with noise at high ISO speeds and woth only 3 frames per second, the D70 will be restricting. But, am I really going to be doing that much photography work that I can justify spending the best part of £1,000 on a Nikon D300?
Something to ponder.
Something to ponder.
Beautiful photos, not too shabby for your first attempt after the course! :D
ReplyDelete(gcgal here in case you're wondering)
These all look pretty good to me. It's difficult to choose a favourite; the portraits are lovely but then so are the action shots.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photographs, my favorite is the dog jumping over the bar.
ReplyDeleteI am looking forward to action photos of your dogs.
ReplyDeleteI think they're great photos...I am sorely lacking in photographic skills.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! I'm best at still objects:o)
ReplyDeleteThose are great, you've got some talent there! I agree with @jenni , action shots = plus difficulty. My fave is the running terrier, but all your subjects are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun class that must have been! That first picture is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThese shots are wonderful I love action shots too
ReplyDeleteI think these are great photos and very inspiring. I, too, love to try to freeze action in a shot. I took the leap and upgraded from Canon EOS Rebel to the Canon 40D. Now I can take bursts at 6.5 per second up to 75 consecutively depending on settings---even with a macro lens. Stopping a hummingbird wing or a bumble bee in flight is soooo satisfying! I invite you to visit flickr or my blog for examples. You are off to a great start and I think you will be successful because a good eye is the most important element of a beautiful photo.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, Angela! I love all of them.
ReplyDeleteGreat images - you should be well chuffed with yourself!
ReplyDeleteYou got the frisbee shots!! Yay! I missed most of them... LOL
It was a great day and I can highly recommend Nick as a teacher, his style and knowledge of both photography and his subjects made the entire day very worthwhile.
What fun shots! Moving dogs can present a challenge. Looks like a fun course!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job. I really love these. I know how you feel about the should I - shouldn't I, get a better camera. It's a tough decison.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a wonderful job!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots. You definitely have an artist's eye.
ReplyDeleteHave you considered looking at the Canon line of cameras? I, myself, have been thinking of crossing the bridge. I have a few friends who are professional photogs, one of them does a lot of sports under really tough lighting conditions, ie: at night with the lights, etc. and he swears by his Canon. They cost less here in the states, so maybe they'd be a bit less there?
Wonderful ~ I could have done with you here this morning when I took the horses off the Curragh. I have to take them through a hay meadow & whilst the pony galloping around wasn't unusual, my Gypsy Cob Draught took to her heels & had a good gallop. It always makes me gasp whenever this heavy horse shows her speed & strength. There are now large circular marks in the hay meadow courtesy of her unshod hooves!
ReplyDeleteFinally has my fun Monday photo posted ~ I made 1 stupid mistake in the file name: it makes no difference on the computer, but trying to upload it to anywhere & it doesn't. Wordpress didn't tell me why either, I just had to guess & hope.
Killi on Blogspot
Those are fab. You really could do this for money my dear. I love the portraits.
ReplyDeleteWow! What beautiful photos. Amazing.
ReplyDelete