How to photograph your pets with Nigel Danson and his Springer Spaniel, Pebbles

I shot all of my images with a Nikon Z 7 and made the most of the new animal autofocus feature. I used a variety of Z Series lenses because they are incredibly sharp and the speed is important for a speedy Springer Spaniel like Pebbles – allowing for quick focus.

I had my camera set on shutter priority with Auto ISO up to 1000 maximum and had the aperture as wide as possible.

Here are a few tips that I found helped me get the best photographs of Pebbles.

Tip 1: Shoot at eye level

As with photographing people, it is important to get down to eye level or even slightly below. This has two major advantages: it allows you to blur the background easily, as the distance is greatly increased and you see a view that most people don’t when looking at their pet, so it stands out.

Tip 2: Use sunlight to your advantage

It is important to think about sunlight and how it impacts your image. I mostly like to shoot in the shade, as you can get some nice soft reflected light cast into your pet’s face.

In the image below (right), I used the band of light to create an interesting composition with dark / light / dark bands. The key thing is always to be aware of how light falls on your pet and the background of the image.

I also like to shoot at sunset when you get lovely soft and warm light. Luckily, in this shot (below left) Pebbles stayed on the rock for around four seconds — just long enough to grab this shot.

Tip 3: Hide your pet

Photos can look good when you don’t reveal everything to the viewer. Imagination is often better than reality!

In my garden, I tried to get Pebbles to run through the long grass but we were both tired by this point and I didn’t quite get the shot I wanted. I did make sure that I only photographed Pebbles in 10 minute sessions and only two sessions a day, as it was very mentally tiring for her (and me!)

This is a more successful one on the sand dunes in England.

Tip 4: Think about different angles

Shooting your pet from different angles (and with different focal lengths) can be a great way to capture a stunning pet photo. In this shot, I photographed from above whilst Pebbles was trying to sit for a treat. This isn’t something she does very well. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t sit waiting for somebody to give me a cake whilst saying, “sit, sit, sit, stay….”

Tip 5: Capture behaviour

This is the most important tip but it is also the most difficult. I tried to get Pebbles to react to different sounds or capture a moment when she was exhibiting different behaviour. One that is still a work in process!