Adventure Photography 101: When Mountains meet Dogs!

If you have been following our instagram page you will know I have a love affair not only taking photos of our dog Badger, but also of so many other mountain puppies from around the globe.

Here I have listed my favourite grammin' pooches and asked them for their top tip when it comes to taking photos of dogs!

I have started with my own pup Badger... 

My top tip is to keep treats up by your camera so he looks lovingly at you, or jumps trying to catch them! @furtherfasternz

"Get down low! Pictures taken from standing height look boring. Get on their level to show their perspective. The lower you get, the more dramatic your dog looks." @robinventures

"It's useful if you can get them to wait, normally via a bribe or some sort if you have a nice background, I take hundreds when I'm out. I constantly have the camera ready and just fire away. Out of 300 about 10 are normally any good.
Also, timers can sometimes be useful if you want to be in the shot. Just be prepared for many attempts to get a decent shot!" @bitchin.beer.treats

 "1. Be curious, You can find great backgrounds and details from the most ordinary of places. Look for different patterns and lights.

2. Image composition, as Instagrams square format supports the symmetrical composition, You might also try to frame your object somewhere else in the frame than in the center. Or maybe crop a part of your model out of the frame and go really close.
3. It's easy to shoot a dog You can control well. But many times when the dog is sitting and waiting for your next word the atmosphere can be static. So take also photos of your dog doing his own things freely.
4. Take a lot of frames. It's super tricky to get a good photo of a dog. But if You take a hundred pics, there's probably a few good one's there too! Aim for the eye to eye level, it means You have to go lower, unless You have a really big dog!
5. The most important one. Have fun. A good photo is a by-product of a great walk with your friend. You don't get good photos everytime so there's no need to be frustrated and definitely not showing your frustration to your dog!"  @kaffegram

"I’m pretty fortunate to live in Queenstown where everyone is an instant photographer haha. The scenery here is stunning so all you have to do is point and shoot! With pup, we go on loads of hikes (at least a 2 hour walk a day).
So I just walk with him and let him do his thing while I have the camera close by. Nothing fancy here.Oh yes. Filters to help the scenery pop! Some HDR tampering is a must 😜" @murph_the_vizsla 

"So ya got 1. Dogo, 2, sunsets 3, snow 4, truck 5, super attractive wife. Then just try and get as many of those into the same shot. Extra points if dog has tongue out. Oh and iPhone camera + portrait mode" @senbilcock

"Hmmm good question. I've been noticing that GoPro facial shoots are usually the photos that are liked the most. The photos where the dogs face is more macro creates more likes". @adventures_of_major_and_aspen 

  "Um, unless your after something specifically different get down to their level. The lower the better 😀🐶👍" @mark_and_myas_adventures

"Umm hard question, I guess just try and find a stunning landscape and then blend the dog Into it. Usually pretty easy to find with any adventure in NZ.👍"  @sean.beale

"My biggest tip is to exercise your dog out first because they’ll be more likely to listen and pose & stay still when they’re tired 😂 also always have treats, that’ll make them look whatever directions the treats are!"   @jazz.paws

So there you have it! So many tips and amazing dogs in the mountains... We want to see your adventures, so send us your pics or tag us #furtherfasternz 

Happy Snapping Folks!!