One to One
Each month we join a top pro on a shoot. This time, Lauren Scott spends the day with John Alexander and friends as he takes us through a pet shoot masterclass
Behind the scenes with John Alexander and his perfectly posed pet pooches
Most of us love taking and seeing photos of pets, even if we don’t have any ourselves. Thanks to the rise of smartphones and social media sharing, dog photography has come on in leaps and bounds (excuse the pun) in recent years. Even if you’re not making a living from snapping other people’s furry companions, it’s satisfying to understand how you can improve your own photos of family and friends’ pets.
John Alexander is just the person to guide others on shooting better pet portraits. He holds regular workshops in his home village of Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire, with his two well-behaved dogs Bally and Milly as the stars of the show.
“I’ve always been mad about photographing animals, but I’m far too impatient to be a fullblown wildlife photographer,” John says. “I try to shoot lots of different types of things –
I do weddings, workshops, some commercial work, videography and, of course, pets. What’s really good is that my dog photography has helped me become a better wedding photographer, my wedding photography has made me a better travel photographer... I think if your photos are good, people don’t mind that you shoot lots of different genres.”
Today, we are going to focus on John’s pet techniques, heading out on location with the dogs in different scenarios, so we can cover as many different shots and skills as possible. John had warned me to bring wellies, so I am already prepared to get a little muddy...
We head to an open field in the countryside near John’s house, delving into his kit bag and discussing how he approaches the start of a shoot. As we’ve heard it said a million times, photography is all about the light. With that in mind, John’s first step is to artfully move around Bally, working out which angle is best for the sunlight. “We’ve got nice, diffused light, thanks to the cloud.” He makes sure to see a catchlight in Bally’s eyes, an important element for making them come alive.
The first shots that John teaches his workshop-goers
I know that Bally loves the tennis ball, so I’ll hang it above my head to get her to sit and look towards the lens
is static portrait shots, so that they get used to new camera handling techniques. He points out that when you photograph pets who aren’t used to a camera – nervous or slightly wild characters – it’s a good idea to acclimatise them to the noise of the camera and the look of a long lens. “You might hold the camera near their face, firing off blank shots as you provide treats. They’ll associate the shutter with positive rewards. Of course, some dogs aren’t bothered, and you can shoot straight away.”
Even if they’re not put off by a big camera, some animals just aren’t natural posers. Pets also have limited attention spans. “You need to get your dog interested, whether this is with treats or toys,” John says. “Knowing your animal really comes in handy here – I know that Bally loves the tennis ball, so
I’ll hang it above my head to get her to sit and look towards the lens.”
With subjects in position, talk turns to camera settings. How does John teach people to set up their camera? “Most people who come to me like dogs and taking pictures of dogs, but are stuck in Auto mode.”
John sets his Nikon D850 to Aperture Priority mode. “I use this mode 95 per cent of the time. I set the widest aperture I can, usually f/2.8, because I want the eyes and face sharp but the background out of focus.”
While there’s no hideous ‘visual clutter’ to avoid where we are, the aperture isolates Bally nicely from the grass beyond. “I want the subject to really stand out, with the backdrop becoming secondary to the dogs.” All of John’s prime Nikon lenses have a wide maximum aperture because of this.
Next up after exposure, it’s important for John to teach the methods of focusing on sprightly, energetic dogs – fast-moving targets that make focusing tricky. You’ll probably have guessed that the eyes should be the main focal point of pet portraits, but how do you make sure this happens with a subject who won’t sit still? “I use back-button focusing,” says John. “You focus once, but can then recompose and carry on shooting, while the camera still tracks the subject.” It means you can make slight changes to the composition and fire off frames without having to worry about refocusing each time.
John adds: “I’m also always changing my composition, depending on what the light’s doing or if the sky changes.” He spends plenty of time kneeling and lying down on the ground, to get eye-level with his pals and capture a more intimate image.
As well as the dog’s eyes being sharp, they also need to be well-lit. Once he’s got some basic portraits, John mentions the catchlight in more detail. For shots outdoors, you’ll find that the sky provides natural highlights in the eyes, but it’s best to direct the dog’s
gaze slightly upwards (which is why John holds the ball above his head and the lens).
Our day is very much a shoot of two halves: later in the afternoon we take to the road and head to a local lake. This gives us a change of scene, pace and technique: we ditch the flexible telephoto lens John used for portraits, and instead mount a wide-angle for some close-up action shots. “I love the different perspective a wide-angle brings, particularly when held right up to the dog.”
John encourages both of his willing companions into the lake with toys, then gets ready to fire off a burst of shots as they shake off the water. “The most dynamic way to shoot is to hold the camera down low and right up to the dog.” He has to anticipate where Bally is going to end up, and fire the shutter just at the right moment. “When you’re using very shallow apertures, getting that focus point is the hardest part,” he says. “Here, I’m using One Shot focus, as I know where my subject will be.” To work out the best moment to fire the shutter, John uses the viewfinder to calculate roughly what distance away Bally is when she fills the frame.
When you photograph animals (as many wildlife photographers will tell you), knowing your subject is vital for success. At the end of the day with John, I’ve learnt plenty about animal behaviour, but also picked up a host of tips for improving my own shot hit rate. John doesn’t shoot hundreds of images with a fast burst rate. Instead, he makes sure the photos he does take are sharp and full of life.
“I often say to people that this isn’t just a dog photography workshop, but a beginner’s introduction to photography with a cool subject. There’s no plan, and I quite like that.”