Zoomies and Photography

(Please click image to see larger version, this theme does not do it justice)

I have been wanting to do something like this for a long time, glad I finally took the time to do so.  There are two reasons for this post, one to share a characteristic I love about my dog and two to share a couple tips for capturing said loved characteristic of my dog.

 Luna loves to run and though she has a stick in her mouth in most of these, she doesn’t always need a reason to run.  Her “zoomies” episodes seriously can’t be truly appreciated unless you see them in person.  It never ceases to make me smile and egg her on when she gets into that mood.  One thing about zoomies though, usually you can’t control when they decide to have them or for how long even if you think your screaming and yelling encourages them… they often have their own timing and stick to it.  I’m still learning that and can’t help myself when it comes to encouraging her.  Anyhow,  she can outrun most any dog we meet (even on 3 legs at the dog park after she injured her foot).  She is not only fast she is VERY agile, it helps that she is on the petite side, but she just has skills.  It hit me the other day that her direction turning ability reminds me of how dragon flies dart around.  I love watching her out manuever every dog she has met, I’m not trying to brag, it’s true… she may be outrun on a rare occasion but never out maneuvered.  She has taught both speed and turning ability to wyatt.  He does not do a bad job even with being longer in body and leg.   She doesn’t always need someone to chase her too, sometimes I think she gets tired of slowing herself down to keep them interested and she will just begin to tear around on her own.  I love those the best as she amps her self up as she does her laps and she can do them for 10 minutes straight sometimes. It’s hilarious.  Anyway for you non dog lovers out there I shall hush…

Now on to the photography, a couple tips to capture such shots.   I will admit I largely shoot in Aperture Priority mode.  I have realized over time that DOF (depth of field) plays a large role in my style, so Ap mode makes sense.  Anyhow because of this I don’t have to worry about shutter speed (I should learn it really) as much.  Though there was a decent amount of light for these shots, I still bumped the ISO up to 800 for most of these.  Ap was usually around f/9.0 or f/10.  honestly that’s higher than I usually shoot, usually I stop it down all the way to make it easier to collect all the light possible for that lens.  But with the more ample light I got away with a higher one which gave me a more deep depth of field, which helps make more of the subject in focus (ie: ups my chances at getting her in focus as she tears around like a lunatic). Oh and the records shot that the shutter speed ended up being around 1/500 – 1/640 ish.

I’m not saying Ap mode is the only way to do pet action shots, for me it is just the easiest way and fits my style best.  If you ever have any other photography questions don’t hesitate to ask.  I am more than happy to share any knowledge and experience I have.  With subjects such as dogs practice practice practice. I am lucky that I not only have my own dog to take pictures of, but also client dogs when I finish their training.

( And on a side note, creating this image (or collection) was  A LOT easier when I went to the “view” menu, then “show” then “grid”… MUCH easier than using the rulers. )

I wanted to post a video too of her running around but can’t seem to find one. Maybe I will try and take a new one… stay tuned and happy Zoomies

PSS… I was not happy that the format of this theme was cutting off my image so I am in the process of swapping things around so it allows for better photo display… Bear with me please.