The relationship between dogs and humans is around 15,000 years old. When you spend time with a dog, your brain releases oxytocin, which is responsible for not only happiness but also bonding and affection. On average, one-third of households have a dog globally. Probably, you are also a proud owner of a dog.

In today’s article, we will talk about portrait dog photography so you can capture beautiful pictures of your best friend. If you don’t have a dog, you can click pictures of your friend’s dog or even make it a profession.

Portrait dog photography doesn’t need any specific camera or lens, you just need to have an idea about the settings of your camera. Like you should open up your aperture to get a shallow depth of field or if you want to take an action shot, you need to use a high shutter speed to freeze the action. If you know the basics of your camera, you are good to go. A camera remote is a handy gadget for action shots. We’ll talk about it later on.

1. Get down at the dog’s level:

One of the basic rules of photography is that you should always take the picture from the eye level of your subject, especially when you are shooting a portrait. In this case, you are taking a portrait of your dog, so always keep that in mind. If we take a photograph from a high or low angle, the proportion change and makes the photograph look odd. Always try to sit or lie down to get to their eye level for the best shots.

2. Focus on eyes:

The eyes are the windows to the soul. You probably read it many times. In a portrait, the eyes should look sharpest, so always focus on the eyes. If you are using a shallow depth of field, try to keep both eyes on the same focal plane so both eyes come sharply in the picture. If it’s not possible, focus on the eye which is near to the camera.

3. Take action shots:

If you want to do creative dog photography, take lots of action shots. Like after bathing, when your dog is shaking to dry off, you may take an amazing shot. Just keep in mind that take this shot with high shutter speed and if the light is coming from the back side, every single drop of water will show in the picture and make it an extraordinary shot.

You can also take running shots of your dog. For the running dog shots, use “continuous autofocus mode” so your subject is always in the focus, and also take pictures on burst mode. When a dog runs fast, sometimes it’s all four legs are in the air and with burst mode, your chance to capture this moment increases multifold.

Some more ideas can be a running dog on a beach or the dirt. Or a running dog in your garden after the rain. You can find lots of good ideas on the internet.

4. Show bonding:

A dog and its owner always have a strong bond and it should be shown in the pictures you are taking. Always take some shots with the owner showing their bond. If you are the proud owner, you may fix your camera on a tripod and use a timer on your camera to click the picture, or you can use a camera remote.

5. Click some playing shots:

Dogs are usually very relaxed when they are playing and it’s the best time to shoot them. Let them play with a ball or a stick or even with your garden pipe and take the shot. If you have more than one dog, let them play together and capture some beautiful shots.

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6. Capture some funny shots:

If your dog is doing something funny, capture it. Whenever you see that picture, it’ll always bring a smile to your face.

7. Try some indoor shots:

When you click indoor pictures, it looks different because light usually comes from a single direction and you can click against a plain background. Why not click some indoor pictures of your dog? Use natural window light to create beautiful portraits of your dog. If you have studio lights and backgrounds, you can create even more amazing pictures.

8. Take a few artistic portraits:

Take some artistic portraits of your dog. If you have a dog outfit, use it. You can also use hats, sunglasses, eyeglasses, fairy lights, soap bubbles, balloons, or party hats to capture extraordinary pictures. It requires a lot of patience as dogs usually don’t sit still, but it’s worth a shot.

9. Use slow shutter speed:

Use slow shutter speed to take some creative shots of your dog. When it’s a windy day and the hairs of your dog are blowing, you can take a slow shutter speed picture. For slow shutter speed shots, always try to hold your camera still or use a tripod.

10. Take shots from an unusual angle:

This point is opposite to point number one, but sometimes breaking the rules brings us something wonderful. So it’s time to break the rules and click a picture from the top angle.

So these are the 10 tips that will help you improve creative dog photography. Now let’s talk about the best camera remote to capture moving objects called MIOPS Smart+. This tiny gadget can control your camera using your mobile so you don’t need someone to click pictures of your dog with you. You can also control the camera using its sound or laser mode.

Laser mode is very useful for capturing action shots. When a subject comes between the laser and the sensor and cuts the laser beam, it clicks the picture automatically. This gadget will help you to capture action shots of your dog without touching the camera. You can also click lightning, time-lapse, HDR, and many more using this gadget.

About the Author

Ramakant Sharda is an author, iOS App publisher, passionate photographer and a MIOPS Ambassador based in the beautiful “Pink City” of India, known as Jaipur. His work has been published in various magazines, newspapers, and blogs. He has published three Coffee Table Books, he writes about photography and also teaches photography in his workshops. Check out his website http://ClickManic.com to see the masterpieces created by him or download his free app for iPhone and iPad “30 Days to an Ace Photographer“.

Nature provides adventure photographers and wildlife photographers with an exciting playground, especially when it comes to capturing some of the most fascinating scenes that the world has to offer. The advancement in camera technology has also opened this door to beginner photographers to get their taste of these stunning sights. One of the most relaxing and perhaps favored nature photography subtypes is bird photography. 

What is Bird Photography?

As mentioned earlier, bird photography is one of the most popular wildlife photography genres today. What makes it so appealing to beginner and advanced photographers alike? Every photographer out there has different answers to this question. Let’s first try to define bird photography. 

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Bird photography is the type of photography that focuses on observing, documenting, and capturing different types of birds in their natural habitat. Aside from knowledge in photography, shooting wildlife subjects like birds requires knowledge in the wild and your subject’s behavior, as well as experience in dealing with the unpredictability of the surroundings. 

Exploring the Fascinating World of Hummingbird Photography

The bird photography subgenre gives photographers a glimpse of this elusive subject. It also gives them a close view of their magnificent and impressive mid-air flight, frozen in time. Hummingbirds are one of the most beloved subjects in this type of photography.

Hummingbirds have always drawn the fascination of photographers. These birds are one of nature’s most amazing, beautiful creatures. Their colorful, iridescent feathers and rapid wing-beats make them look like jewels in flight.

Hummingbirds are a truly unique species: they are the only birds that can hover and fly backward, giving them incredible agility and a delightfully unpredictable flight pattern. Their tiny, vivacious forms can inspire tenderness for their fragility, joy for their liveliness, and gratefulness for the gift of their beauty. 

Being able to capture images of these enthralling creatures in all their moods and mysteries is an outstanding achievement for a photographer. However, the same qualities that make hummingbirds so fascinating often make them a tough challenge to photograph as well. This article will give you a comprehensive guide to photographing hummingbirds for beginners. The article also discusses information on various techniques (flash and non-flash) so you can have more freedom to experiment and incorporate what works best for you. 

The Best Camera Equipment for Hummingbird Photography

In order to take great photos of hummingbirds, you're going to need the right camera equipment in your camera bag. You can always add more devices to your arsenal, but the discussions about the equipment below will be enough to get you started and build your confidence with hummingbird photography.  

Choosing the right camera for hummingbird photography

A basic DSLR with full manual mode will suffice for static shots of hummingbirds feeding or perching. But to capture these beauties in flight, you'll need a camera with good autofocus performance. Hummingbirds are tiny, fast, and difficult to focus on. Better autofocus is one of the factors that make expensive cameras more desirable for high-speed photography. 

Determining the right flash units to use for bird photography

It's possible to photograph hummingbirds without flash, but most professional photographers opt to use at least two flashes. Remember that since a bird flying in mid-air is considered a high-speed event, flash units and their burst speed matter a lot. You'll need to mount these external flashes on stable stands in order to get a precise fix on your shot. 

Deciding on which type of lens to use

Choose a lens that can provide some distance from your subject. You don’t want to scare these fragile and elusive creatures away by standing close to the event zone. As with most wildlife photography, it's important not to spook your subjects, and a longer lens will enable you to take pictures from a distance. Although a telephoto lens isn't a requirement, you should start with the longest lens that you have. 

Rely on an intuitive remote shutter release

You'll need to use a remote trigger since you'll be working with multiple flashes. This trigger should be able to connect to your camera and communicate with your external flash units.  These are some of the options you have: wired triggers, radio, and infrared.

Wired triggers are reliable, but they can limit your movement. Infrared triggers are often disrupted by factors such as lighting or distance. 

MIOPS Camera Trigger is your best bet when taking photos of hummingbirds for the first time. Aside from its ability to be connected to your camera, it can also communicate with your other flash units for a more synchronized shot.

MIOPS remote trigger is a reliable, portable flash and camera trigger in one, convenient device. It's functional under any photography setting, including low-light conditions. The wireless function also means that you'll be able to take quality hummingbird photos from the comfort of your home or inside a vehicle, instead of having to remain completely still or using a wildlife photography blind to avoid startling the birds. 

Now that you have your camera bag ready, let’s go find some birds.

Flash or Non-Flash Techniques for Hummingbird Photography?

Non-flash Techniques

If you choose to photograph hummingbirds without flash, you'll need to compensate for the lack of light to give clarity to their rapid movements. 

Although fast shutter speed is enough to freeze some high-speed events such as sports maneuvers, it's simply not enough to capture a fully focused image of a hummingbird's wings. A hummingbird flaps its wings at 200 beats per second. To capture a defined image of the wings, you'll need to set your shutter speed to more than 1/1000 seconds. However, this reduces your depth of field, which could result in most of the hummingbird's body being out of focus. 

On the other hand, you could choose to keep your shutter speed low, to maintain focus on the whole bird. However, the tradeoff is that the hummingbird's wings will come out blurred. 

It's possible to take beautiful, creative hummingbird photos without using flash, but you'll have to keep these tradeoffs in mind. 

Flash Techniques

Lighting is the most complicated aspect of hummingbird photography, and many professionals have developed their own techniques and processes for illuminating their hummingbird shots. Since photographing hummingbirds in flight is a type of high-speed photography, the primary source of light in the image is your flash. Using multiple flashes fills in deep shadows and results in tack-sharp photos. 

Hummingbirds get their shimmering colors from the refraction of light on their feathers. Using multiple flashes will bring out this quality and take your hummingbird photos to a whole new level. 

Rigging Your Flash Triggers

Most DSLRs can be set up so that the built-in flash (or a mounted flash unit) will automatically trigger another external flash. This setup varies with camera models and manufacturers, so you may have to consult your camera's manual or other instructional resources. 

Not all DSLRs have this function. In this case, you'll need a trigger that connects your external flash to your camera. The MIOPS Smart Trigger has a dedicated output for flash units, as well as a cable that can be connected directly to a PC Sync port. For cameras without the sync port, MIOPS also offers a hot shoe adapter. 

Once you've connected your primary flash unit to the MIOPS Smart Camera Trigger, you can use Slave Mode to trigger your other flashes at the same time. This also varies with flash units, so you'll need to check the manual. 

Locating Hummingbirds

Before you attempt to photograph hummingbirds, it's very helpful (not to mention enjoyable) to spend time observing them first. After all, you’re here to appreciate nature and the stunning sights that it can offer. With any field of photography, knowing your subject is a must, and hummingbird photography is no exception.  

Ethics and Responsibility

Despite the energy and liveliness of hummingbirds, they are delicate creatures that need to be treated with care. While it can be tempting to "capture and release" wildlife for photography, the welfare of your subjects should always come first. 

Part of the challenge of wildlife photography is minimizing your impact on the environment. This will give you the opportunity to get to know your subjects and capture images that truly reflect their unique attributes. 

Research about hummingbirds' most likely locations.

There are multiple resources online where you can get the right information that you need about locating hummingbirds. One of the most popular sites is managed by Audubon Society, an organization that protects birds and the places and sanctuaries where they grow and thrive. Audubon’s database answers the frequently asked questions about this magnificent bird species, including their location, conservation, and rehabilitation efforts.  

Observe the hummingbirds' behavior patterns.

Like most birds, hummingbirds tend to follow a routine. They will frequent certain areas to rest and feed. You can observe them and find out if these areas will give you good composition. If this is the case, you may not need to set up a background for your photos. 

Practice no-contact photoshoot using a remote trigger

As mentioned earlier, hummingbirds are delicate creatures and you have to make sure that you’re not disrupting their habitat or putting their lives in danger. As a photographer and a nature lover, you have to be more responsible. One of the best ways to make sure that you’re not harming your subjects is using a no-contact approach, made possible through a remote trigger.  Additionally, while capturing hummingbirds can be exciting, waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of these birds isn't a great use of your time. 

So what can a remote camera trigger do to solve these two issues?

MIOPS Smart Trigger has a time-lapse function that you can set up to automatically take photos when it detects motion. This means that you don’t have to be present or disrupt the bird’s habitat in order for you to take a successful shot.

The sensors are also highly customizable, so you don't have to worry about the sensors being set off by wind or another irrelevant movement.

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Additionally,  MIOPS remote trigger has a built-in Laser Mode that detects motion. Using this highly sensitive sensor, your camera can capture a bird in flight as soon as they break through the laser. The same function can be applied to your flash unit’s wireless trigger and signal it to burst. 

Most importantly, you can connect your MIOPS trigger device to your smartphone for more customization. Through a dedicated mobile phone app, you can adjust the timing of the shot, trigger delay, and even single to multiple shots. You can also opt for a sequence shot so you won’t miss a single moment. Simply set up your camera, program the MIOPS Smart Camera Trigger, and review the photos at your leisure. 

Construct Feeders to Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds will be more amenable to being photographed in a safe, comfortable environment. You can do this by offering them food and shelter.

There are many inexpensive and effective feeders available on the market. Fill the feeder with fresh nectar every few days, and make sure to keep it clean. Choose a feeder that will make a good background for your photos. 

Try introducing hummingbird attracting flowers

If you want to create your own hummingbird sanctuary and a place where you can easily observe them, ready your green thumb. Hummingbirds love flowers! The sweet nectar and bright colors keep them coming back for more.

Hummingbirds and flowers are a fitting match, visually, and provide the perfect backdrop for your photos. Flowers also attract insects that can pollinate the area and supplement the hummingbirds' diet. 

Try planting richly colored flowers such as zinnias, lupines, petunias, and cardinal flowers. Flowers that are native to the area are best since they're recognizable to the hummingbirds and are more likely to flourish under the conditions. 

Your introduction to nature photography is just a click away

MIOPS’ devices have a lot to offer when it comes to exploring the possibilities of nature photography. Aside from hummingbird photography and the different modes that you can use for a successful nature shoot, MIOPS camera triggers and MIOPS accessories can also help introduce you to other subgenres in nature photography. 

If you want to know more about the products that can up your game in the different photography types, taking the first step is just a click away. Let’s help you get started by clicking this link. 

Blog Credit: Charm Villalon

Charm is a writer and a visual artist. Her drive to share ideas and stories is evident in her background in communication arts and language studies. Years of professional experience in content creation have given her a broad proficiency with the process of engaging online communities. An appreciation for multiple languages and cultures drives her to seek out experiences and capture these moments through her writing, digital art, and photography.

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[faq q1="What is Bird Photography?" a1="As mentioned earlier, bird photography is one of the most popular wildlife photography genres today." q2="Flash or Non-Flash Techniques for Hummingbird Photography?" a2="If you choose to photograph hummingbirds without flash, you'll need to compensate for the lack of light to give clarity to their rapid movements. " q3="what is The Best Camera Equipment for Hummingbird Photography?" a3="In order to take great photos of hummingbirds, you're going to need the right camera equipment in your camera bag."]

Soap bubbles always fascinate us as a kid. Not just the kid, even adults love to play with them. Blowing bubbles and watching them float in the air and then burst is exciting and a pleasure to watch. We all played with the soap bubbles at least once in our lives, even though we see them almost every day, but we never observe the sheer beauty they hold within them.

Yes, soap bubbles hold an exciting range of patterns and colors. When you see them against a dark background, it shows vivid colors and textures that change rapidly. Soap bubbles are fabulous, charming, and fascinating, but unfortunately, they have a short life span. Usually, they last for a few seconds and burst when someone touches them or most of the time on their own.

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But we can shoot this sheer beauty of soap bubbles to keep with us forever. Let’s find out how we can do so.

Gears we need:

First, let’s talk about the gears we need for this photo series. We can take these photos using any DSLR, compact camera, or even a mobile phone. If you use a DSLR, try to use a macro lens because soap bubbles are tiny in size, and with a macro lens, we can click from a very close distance. If you don’t have a macro lens, use any lens that you have.

Most mobile phones already have a macro mode, so you don’t need to use any special lens or attachment.

In soap bubble photography, the light source is more important rather than a camera. This photography needs a big size light source. You have many different choices for the light source. You may use a studio light or a flash or a continuous light source like an LED light, or if you don’t have these, use a window light.

If you are using LED light or window light, you need to use high ISO because we need to shoot with a narrow aperture like f/16 to get a deeper depth of field, and we can’t use a slow shutter speed as colors in the soap bubbles change rapidly. So if you have studio lights or off-camera flash, it’s better to use them instead of continuous light.

If you are using a studio light or a flash, use it with a large Softbox or beauty dish. If you don’t have a softbox or beauty dish, don’t worry. You can make a DIY Softbox and use it with a flash or a continuous light source.

To make a DIY Softbox, create a two-by-two-foot frame using an iron wire or wood. Now wrap this frame with butter paper or white cotton cloth. This frame will give the same impact as studio flash and softbox. You may use this frame with an external flash or a LED light, or you may place this frame near the window and use the window light as a light source.

Next, you will need a tripod to fix your camera on it so you can blow the bubbles easily. If you have a shutter release cable or a trigger like MIOPS Smart+ or RemotePlus, it would be great.

Other than this, you need black paper or a black cloth to use as a backdrop. To blow soap bubbles, you need a soap solution. You can get it from the local market, or you can make it at home. Just add two tablespoons of liquid soap in half cup of water and add one tablespoon of glycerine to it. Leave it overnight, and your soap solution is ready.

Work Flow:

Now everything is ready, let’s start shooting. Take a small bowl, pour soap solution into it and place it on a table. The bowl should be two or two and half-inch size. Place a black paper or black cloth behind the bowl. You can see and capture the colors of soap bubbles against a dark background only. 

Let’s set up the light source. If you want to capture the soap bubbles like a floating planet, your light source should be near the bubble (just 2-3 inches). In our case, the light source is the softbox or the frame we made, not the actual light or window. So place the frame right above the bubble.

Fix your camera on the tripod and focus manually on the soap solution bowl. Set the aperture to f/11 or f/16, set shutter speed to 1/125 seconds, and set ISO according to the light. To get the entire bubble in focus, we need such a narrow aperture. As soap bubble is constantly changing, so we need at least 1/125 shutter speed.

If you are using a shutter release cable or remote, attach it to the camera. Now all you need to do is blow the bubble using a straw and capture the picture. For mobile shooting, you don’t need to set aperture, shutter speed, or focus. Mobile will do it automatically.

Problems and Solution:

Soap bubbles will not have these fantastic colors immediately after you blow them. You need to wait and after a few seconds, colors will start emerging and then you can start shooting.

If you are using a readymade soap solution, you may notice that the soap bubbles burst quickly. If it’s happening, add a few drops of glycerine to the solution, it will increase bubbles lifespan. If you made it yourself using the above formula, you would not find this problem as we already added glycerine.

Also, the temperature and the humidity of the room play an important role in the life of a soap bubble. If the room is hot and dry, like we have in summers, the life of the bubbles would be concise. Soap bubbles have a layer of water between two thin layers of soap and when this water evaporates, the bubble burst. That is the reason it has a shorter lifespan in dry and hot environments.

To increasing the lifespan of the bubble, add some glycerine and shoot in a cool room. By doing this, your bubble will last for two to three minutes and you can click a lot of different shots with just one bubble.

Also, take a closer look at the surface of the bubble. When it starts getting transparent, it means that the bubble is about to burst. Use the straw and blow air on the bubble gently. It will increase its life add some unique colors and texture to it.

Post-processing:

If you are doing everything correctly, you don’t need to do heavy post-processing. Just some level adjustments, cropping and sharpening are enough, and your image looks like a sci-fi movie scene.

So, start clicking and add some fantastic colorful photos to your portfolio. Good Luck.

Miops Smart+ Camera Trigger

Take almost impossible photos by turning your camera into a high-speed capture device!

MIOPS Smart Trigger is a versatile camera trigger in a single unit and provides advanced triggering modes like Lightning, Sound, Laser, Timelapse, HDR and more.

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Related Article 1: Why MIOPS Smart is the Best Camera Trigger Ever?

Related Article 2: What is a MIOPS Smart High-speed Camera Trigger?

Related Article 3: 7 Photography Techniques To Use MIOPS Smart+

Blog Credit: Ramakant Sharda

Ramakant is an Award-Winning Photographer, Author, Mobile Apps Publisher based in the beautiful “Pink City” of India, known as Jaipur. Many of his works have been published in magazines, newspapers, and international blogs. He writes about photography and also teaches photography in his workshops. He has published three (so far) coffee table books. Get his latest book Mastering High-Speed Photography.

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[faq q1="what do you need to capture soap bubble photographs?" a1="In soap bubble photography, the light source is more important rather than a camera." q2="what is soap bubble photography?" a2="Soap bubbles always fascinate us as a kid. Not just the kid, even adults love to play with them." q3="how should Post-processing be in soap bubble photography?" a3="If you are doing everything correctly, you don’t need to do heavy post-processing. Just some level adjustments, cropping and sharpening are enough, and your image looks like a sci-fi movie scene."]