Dogs?

[mdog114]

Hello All!

I'm a newb here and this is my first real post.

I've been using 35mm cameras for many years, but I'm relatively new to digital. I have a low-res digi-cam for posting Ebay sale items and forum posts, but I recently purchased a Nikon D70s. I have 5 Nikon lenses, so I figured I would stick within the brand.

I'm really happy with the camera so far, but I've always struggled with getting good, consistantly focused shots of my dogs. I'm an amatuer by all accounts, but I have a decent amount of basic knowledge. I've been pretty active on the internet for years, but have never explored the wealth of photographic knowledge out there.

So here's my question for all you shutter-bugs; Does anyone have any tips for getting good actions shots in general. More to the point, some sort of "focus-anticipation" that's used for a subject moving into frame? My Father taught me about photography and I've never taken any classes, so I'm not up on any of the typical tricks and short-cuts that may be learned by some formal training.

I'm posting two shots I took over the weekend, the first is a static shot and the second is a moving one.

The 2nd shot is the type of shot I'm looking to improve.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

 

[joyride]

I was taught a method using zone focusing.basically, it is pre-focusing on an area and using the aperture to create a "zone" that is in focus. I took a shot from my book and uploaded it to my page. They are very large, so you may just want to save them. (http://homepages.wmich.edu/~j2cervin/zone.htm

Anyway, I hope this helps you.

 

[mdog114]

I was taught a method using zone focusing.basically, it is pre-focusing on an area and using the aperture to create a "zone" that is in focus. I took a shot from my book and uploaded it to my page. They are very large, so you may just want to save them. (http://homepages.wmich.edu/~j2cervin/zone.htm

Anyway, I hope this helps you.

That's pretty much what I've been trying, it's hard though.

Nice pics!

Thanks for the tip

 

[mentos_007]

maybe... get lower... to the dog's level? you will capture a scene from the ground as they see everything... it may add to the dynamic of the picture

 

[mdog114]

maybe... get lower... to the dog's level? you will capture a scene from the ground as they see everything... it may add to the dynamic of the picture

I tried that, but I didn't get any decent shots due to poor focus. I'll try again on my next trip to the park. I'm pretty new to digital, so I think I'm going to try all the settings I can and take some notes next time. I think I'll bump up the ISO to 800, do you think that may help?

I looked at your site and you've got some beautiful pictures, you're very talented.

 

[mentos_007]

I tried that, but I didn't get any decent shots due to poor focus. I'll try again on my next trip to the park. I'm pretty new to digital, so I think I'm going to try all the settings I can and take some notes next time. I think I'll bump up the ISO to 800, do you think that may help?

I looked at your site and you've got some beautiful pictures, you're very talented.

me????? you're talking baout me???? wow! thank you so much! :hugs:
well honestly iso may help if you are also going for shortening exposure time. dogs are always in motion so it may prevent from taking blurry pictures. I don't know how the noise on nikond d70s looks like, but on mine camera it is crappy and I rarely go more than 400.

and one more tip: try to focus on the dogs head - it is the main subject actually... not a tail or body.. everyone is going to look at it's head and eyes... and then if the rest of the corpse is blurred - the motion is visible and the dynamic of the picture. It might be worth trying that.

 

[mdog114]

me????? you're talking baout me???? wow! thank you so much! :hugs:
well honestly iso may help if you are also going for shortening exposure time. dogs are always in motion so it may prevent from taking blurry pictures. I don't know how the noise on nikond d70s looks like, but on mine camera it is crappy and I rarely go more than 400.

and one more tip: try to focus on the dogs head - it is the main subject actually... not a tail or body.. everyone is going to look at it's head and eyes... and then if the rest of the corpse is blurred - the motion is visible and the dynamic of the picture. It might be worth trying that.

Thanks, I'll try those suggestions.

I've read a lot about digital noise in pictures, but I don't think I've encountered it yet. I'll try and shot some pics at real high ISO and see if I can see what it is.

Can you give me a hint as to what to look for?

 

[saulmr]

Action shots with dogs are always difficult, because it's difficult to guess where they will move next. Prefocusing and using a small F Stop to increase your depth of field will work on your advantage. Also, using a telephoto lens will help you get closer to the action without interfering with the dog's activities.

Shooting when the dog is coming or facing towards you instead of moving to the side will also help freeze the action a little bit, and be prepared to shoot many times to get a decent picture... You're lucky you're using digital!

Take a look at my blog, most of my dog shots were done with 400 ASA film. When taking pics of street dogs, it's always helpful no to make sudden movements that may scare them and gain their confidence with soft voice... Treats will always do wonders!

 

[mentos_007]

Thanks, I'll try those suggestions.

I've read a lot about digital noise in pictures, but I don't think I've encountered it yet. I'll try and shot some pics at real high ISO and see if I can see what it is.

Can you give me a hint as to what to look for?

it is the easiest to notice on ine-colour are... like sky for example. Take two pics of the very same part of the sky - one with iso 200 the second with 1600. in the second one you will notice some weird dots, pixels in 3 colours (red, blue and white).

 

[mdog114]

Action shots with dogs are always difficult, because it's difficult to guess where they will move next. Prefocusing and using a small F Stop to increase your depth of field will work on your advantage. Also, using a telephoto lens will help you get closer to the action without interfering with the dog's activities.

Shooting when the dog is coming or facing towards you instead of moving to the side will also help freeze the action a little bit, and be prepared to shoot many times to get a decent picture... You're lucky you're using digital!

Take a look at my blog, most of my dog shots were done with 400 ASA film. When taking pics of street dogs, it's always helpful no to make sudden movements that may scare them and gain their confidence with soft voice... Treats will always do wonders!

Great shots on your site, I love the look of that brown stray!

I'll try your suggestions over the weekend!

Thanks!

 

[mdog114]

it is the easiest to notice on ine-colour are... like sky for example. Take two pics of the very same part of the sky - one with iso 200 the second with 1600. in the second one you will notice some weird dots, pixels in 3 colours (red, blue and white).

I'll try just that, and see for myself what this "noise" is all about.

Thanks!