Hints & Tips for Successful Toy Dog Photography

As the name suggests Toy Dog Breeds are small in stature and consequently do not need a lot of exercise compared to larger breeds of dog. The Kennel Club Toy Dog Breed list includes small breeds such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Pug and Bichon Frise.

Due to the size of the Toy Dogs I have found it is always a good idea when taking photographs of these dogs to:

• Kneel or even lie down low so that you are taking photographs directly at your dogs eye level
• Alternatively position your toy dog safely on steps, a chair, table or similar to create a platform of height when taking your pet photographs

Toy Dogs are sometimes referred to as Lap Dogs as they are small enough to lie on someone’s lap which creates a great opportunity to photograph the strong bond between dog and owner. You may want to commission a dog photographer to capture such a special relationship http://www.debsdogphotos.wordpress.com. Alternatively ask a friend to help photograph your dog and yourself together or :

• put a chair in a position with good natural sunlight (preferably outdoors)
• carefully position your camera at the correct height opposite the chair
• set the timer on your camera to allow yourself time to sit on the chair
• place your dog on your lap before the camera takes the picture

Use props to add interest to your toy dog photographs and brighten the scene (but bear in mind the proportion of your dogs size and don’t choose anything too big). For example you could:

• place your dog(s) beside flowers in attractive pots to capture attractive photographs
• put your dog(s) into a wicker basket for a cute pet photo
• position your toy dog(s) on a fluffy sheepskin rug or brightly coloured blanket

Remember to groom your dog so that they look their best and kneel down (so you are not look directly down onto the top of your dogs head) when taking your toy dog photographs. Also don’t use flash as this may not only startle your dog but could create a strange green glow in their eyes similar to red eye in humans.

I hope you enjoy trying out some of these photography ideas with your Toy Dogs – this is the 5th in my series of Blogs about photographing all of the Kennel Club dog breed groups. Click here to read about How to Photograph Terriers, Click here for Pastoral Dog Photography Hints & Tips, Click here for Gundog Photography, Click here to read about Hound Dog Photography Hints & Tips and watch this space in the next few weeks for Utility and Working Dog Groups!

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Click Here to receive a Free Printable PDF Pocket Guide which accompanies this article and includes an Equipment Checklist, a Shot List and a Checklist for preparing yourself and your Toy Dogs for a photography shoot.