The basics are the best!

If you are coming into this blog post thinking I'll be talking about how a sit pretty, bow, or how some other fancy trick makes the best poses, keep reading because they are far from what I love!

I've worked with a pretty large variety of dogs. Breeds, sizes, and training level. Some, or I guess most, of the dogs I have met (whether I was photographing them or not) do not know more than the basic commands. Sit, lay down, and most know stay. An I think these are my favorite commands! I have 2 dogs who, (subtle brag 😉) know a wide variety of tricks. However when I take them out to photograph them I usually stick to my 3 basics. Sit, Lay down, and Stand. Most of the time I barely even use a stay! They are so easy for the dogs, and allow them to feel comfortable while being asked to pose for photos. Allowing them to also do the 3 main movements they do, takes the pressure off them for trying to focus on a new person taking their photo, and their mom or dad asking them to work.

Now that's not saying if your dog knows more I don't want to see it, believe me I DO! This is more for the people that may be thinking they want those "Instagram dogs" that seem to know all the fancy tricks and listen so well. An the ones thinking "I wish my dog would do that." I've been there, heck I am that person! Every time I see my favorite instagram accounts with their gorgeous photos of their dogs "posing", I always wish I had similar photos of my own dogs. What we need to remember is that those photos are a millimeter of a second. An I would bet right after the photo is taken the dog jumps off its rock or branch, they run around, bark at a person walking past. Even though I am a photographer, I still wish I had those photos where there is crystal clear water or mountains, these beautiful landscapes, however Fort St. John is not known for its clear lakes and rocky mountains, lol. So I may have to travel!

The best poses, in my opinion ;), is the basics. A super easy, sit, stand, lay down. Those simple commands can give a very wide range of photo opportunities! I've even photographed a few dogs that don't even know those commands and we still got beautiful images of the dogs! I do a very wide range of hieghts and distances to capture my images, getting dogs up onto objects (if safe. Safety first!) and peering out from places, laying on stuff. The list goes on!

So just remember for your pet photography.. Those images on instagram, or facebook, where all the dogs seem to pose so perfectly. It's only a millimeter of a second that, that photo was taken, and even your highstrung puppy, or "not having it" dog, can still be a instagram model!