thegoodmuttphotography
Your guide for posing dogs
to create impactful & natural portraits
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This guide is for you if....
- You're a professional dog photographer looking to spice up your poses
- You're an amateur dog photographer looking for posing ideas
- You are a pet owner that enjoys capturing images of their dog
In this guide, you will discover common positions and prompts I use during my sessions
...But first!
This walkthrough serves merely as a visual aid and guide to showcase some of my favourite poses (both stationary and in motion) and how I execute them during sessions.
The safety and comfort of my client dogs are my number 1 priority. I will only attempt to execute certain positions as long as the dog is confident and comfortable doing so.
It is important to remember that it is the dog that leads the shoot, not you. If at any point the dog exhibits nervous behaviour to a prompt/position, I abort immediately.
Nowhere in this guide will you receive training tips or advice as I am not a dog trainer. I work solely off of the abilities that the client dog already has.
We're going to start off easy-peasy...
"Sit" is arguably one of the most common commands that a dog knows. There's always that one dog that will use "sit" as their go-to for everything! A lot of our senior pups will sit automatically solely because it's easier and more comfortable for them. But we can make this work!
One of my favourite ways to make the most out of this command is to incorporate foreground. While the command may seem "simple", having a dog sit in an area such as a flower field, on a rocky beach, deep into the brush of a forest, you can create a sense of depth in the image. This is also a great position to capture a nice simple head shot too!
But what if the dog can't "sit & stay"?
This is where things get fun!
We've all come across those dogs who are so excited they struggle to stand or sit still longer than 5 seconds! And that's okay, it's exciting being a model and being in a brand new environment around a brand new person. But we can actually use this to our advantage to capture some great moving shots.
Not every image with movement needs to be super fast and speedy. Even just capturing your subject trotting down the beach or wading into the water for a drink is enough to capture a sense of motion. This is a perfect setup for a pup that likes to be on the move.
A few more examples of dogs just walking around enjoying themselves
For dogs that aren’t big on posing and enjoy walking around doing their own thing, one of the easiest ways to capture this is if they’re off leash just having fun. If being off leash isn’t possible, you can still achieve these shots by using a long line (the Frenchie in the bottom right was actually leashed for that shot!). Most times images of dogs walking down the beach or playing in the snow, etc turn out to be some of my clients favourites! So don’t stress too much if you have a wiggly subject.
And remember, you DON’T need an off-leash dog to capture images that tell a story...
One of the most common questions I hear from inquiring clients is: "my dog can't be off leash, is that going to impact my shoot?" The answer is so simple - NO! Over half of my client dogs are on leash during their photoshoot. Surprised? Thanks to editing software, removing leashes from images has never been easier. Safety is always number 1 and I will never compromise that for a photo.
And you know what, sometimes having a dog on leash makes positioning easier even if they ARE good off leash! You have precise control over where they'll stand and luring them with treats while on leash makes a world of difference. By having the owner or assistant correctly position a leash will make removal in post-processing easier!
All of the poses in this guide (except action shots at the end) can be achieved ON leash!
A quick tip to consider...
I LOVE capturing the soulful look of the dog as they gaze directly into my lens. But have you ever thought about the impact it makes when the dog isn't looking at the camera? To me, it gives a sense of story-telling and curiosity as they survey the world around them instead of turning their attention directly to you.
Try this in your next session!
Once you have the dog in your desired position, throw a small rock or stick in the direction you'd like them to glance in. You can even do a "fake toss" and sometimes that's enough for them to look in that direction! You'll need to be prepared with a fast shutter as sometimes this will make your subject extra curious to go investigate the object you've just thrown.
Now let's talk about incorporating our natural enviornment!
Rocks, logs or basically anything the dog can hop up onto is the easiest way to level-up your portraits. There's something so simple yet effective with having your subject elevated out in nature. Pretty much every session of mine will include a dog leaping up onto something!
IMPORTANT: Always, always, always understand and respect your subjects limitations and boundaries when it comes to standing on new surfaces (wood, rocks, moss, etc). This can be super weird for a lot of dogs so only proceed with these types of commands if the dog is comfortable and confident.
This position (mantled on rocks, logs, etc) makes an impact from any angle. I primarily try to shoot from the side of the dog as a profile shot when I have them elevated like this. If the dog is super confident, you can even incorporate tricks or have them in motion.
Using treats or toys can help make this experience fun and exciting for them. I do my best to make these shots very quick as they hangout on the rocks or logs to limit their time on them.
Lets get into some more technical posing and prompting..
Now that we've had our dogs mantled up on natural pedestals like rocks and logs, I'm going to share one of my favourite poses! As I mentioned before, there's something very "story-telling" about a dog glancing away from the camera. If you're like me and prefer the dog looking away from you, then you need to give this one a try!
This pose can virtually work in any scenario! Whether standing on the ground, in water or mantled up on a rock or log. You'll want to shoot this one from the side as a profile shot and here are the steps I take and prompts I've used:
1) Have the owner lure the dog so that the dog is facing them directly (in this case, the owner has lured the dog up onto the rock and is facing them).
2) On my cue, the owner will toss a treat or small rock directly over the dog so that their natural reaction will be to watch the object overhead and fall behind them. You can even try the "fake toss" with no object and sometimes that works too! It is at this point you will be rapid firing for that split second they turn their head to glance over their shoulder.
3) Now some dogs will naturally turn their entire body around to see what has been thrown. If you have two people, you can attempt to avoid this full-body-turn by having 1 person stand in front of the dog and 1 person stand behind the dog. On your cue, have the person behind the dog call their name or entice them so they quickly glance over their shoulder.
Having a leash for this one can also help avoid a full-body-turn!
Get out there and give this one a shot! If you've used this method, please tag me so I can see your results!
@thegoodmuttphotography
#tgmposingguide
1) lure dog up
2) Toss a treat or small rock overhead
(owner this way)
More examples of using this technique
Now onto the "look back"..
This pose is pretty much the exact same as the previous one just at a different angle and executed in a slightly different way. I LOVE capturing that brief moment where a dog looks over their shoulder at me, usually caught off guard 🤣 There's a few ways to achieve this:
1) Have the owner and their dog position themselves with their back to the camera. When you’re ready, call their name loudly or use a crazy noise (we all have them LOL!) to catch the attention of the dog. 8/10 times they’ll look
back at me!
2) Another way to catch this one is if the dog is already off leash doing their own thing. Sometimes you can catch them at the perfect angle (with their back to you) and call their name at the right time to capture that look-back! I will also have owners call them as well, since they usually respond better to them than me (a new person!)
3) If the name-calling isn’t successful, you can try and get their attention by making weird sounds, squeaking toys, tapping rocks or sticks, etc. I find “novel” sounds work the best as it piques their curiosity! I will also use an app called iTrainer which has a few different squeak sounds.
The end goal: having the dog face away from you but glancing back over their shoulder towards the camera
Let’s level up these poses even more…
This is the “Stand Up!”
This next posing prompt is another favourite of mine and one I try to do every session. This is a very easy command to try on location to add some variety into your shots. Plus, the dog doesn’t need to know any fancy tricks for this one! Keep in mind that not all dogs will be able to perform this one, such as older dogs with arthritis. I have the most success with this pose when I follow the steps below:
1) I prefer to capture this pose from the side. I like being able to see all features of the dog clearly, such as their paws out in front of them, the side of their face, their tail behind them, etc. I find this more appealing to the eye as opposed to a “head-on” shot of the dog standing up!
3) Extra tip - one of the simplest ways to level this one up even more is to try it in the water! There’s nothing quite like water to add some dynamics and movement to your image. With their paws leaving the water, you’re sure to capture some fun water trails!
Next, let’s talk head shots
Truth be told, I don’t capture a ton of head shots during my sessions. I’m usually too distracted by our beautiful locations and want to do my best to capture all of that! However, classic head shots are just another easy way to add variety into your sessions. This entire guide is all about variety and helping you achieve that in your images and galleries! Here are a few ways to capture those classic head shots while also spicing them up a bit…
Foreground, foreground, foreground
When I’m capturing head shots of my client dogs, I am immediately looking for an area to create depth around them and that usually means a nice foreground! I will typically use a longer lens for shots such as these to really focus the attention on the dog themselves and really encapsulate them in that environment. Because I’m obsessed with side shots, I will have the owner speak to their dog so the dog glances up at them. I just love delivering shots such as these knowing the owner is who the dog is looking at lovingly!
If you’re familiar with my work, you know that I LOVE shooting in and around water!
(yes, IN the water 😂)
I get asked SO often: “How do you get shots in the water?” or “Are you in the water when taking these photos?”. Well, I’m here to answer those very questions and reveal my secrets! (They’re not actually secrets 😆).
Photographing in and around water is probably one of my favourite ways to level up my photos and create truly captivating portraits. I am constantly drawn to water locations for my subjects and more often than not, these images turn out to be some of my favourites. Water can transform a portrait into both a serene, tranquil image as well as an action shot with explosion of movement.
Disclaimer:
I am at a very comfortable level of being in the water with my camera and equipment. If you’re not comfortable being in and around water with your camera, please do not push that discomfort for a photo. Do what feels best for you and your gear!
Here is what I do when I’m shooting in and around water:
• Shoot LOW! I basically hold my camera right on the surface of the water to create a smooth foreground. Sometimes this even creates an illusion that the camera is IN the water!
• In the summer months I just wear shorts and really secure sandals/shoes (think water shoes or anything with good grip!). In the colder months I will wear high rubber boots. This usually only allows me to get into the water about shin-deep but that’s all I need!
• Take advantage of all that movement! Water is what makes portraits so dynamic, especially when it comes to action shots. Another one of my favourite environments to shoot action in! Don’t be afraid to capture that spray.
Examples of poses executed in the water
Owners tossed something over the dog so the dog would follow the object above or beside them
The classic look over the shoulder
Owners were standing near their dog while I positioned myself and called out their name to look back at me
Standing up in the water!
Owners were standing near their dog enticing them to jump up with a toy or stick while I captured the splash-filled moment
And of course, the incredible water-filled action shots
Before we get into action shots, I’m going to share some of the commands I LOVE to capture!
“Sit Pretty”
Easily one of the cutest tricks around! And surprisingly quite a few of my client dogs have known this trick. This is a fun one to capture from the side, but can also be done in the water, on rocks, in shrubs (think foregrounds). There are so many ways to capture this adorable trick!
“Shake a Paw”
Another fairly common trick that most dogs know! Even if your dog throws their paw out for 2 seconds, that’s really all you need to capture that 1 shot! This can be a fun one to capture from above the dog if you have a wide angle lens (like the image above).
“Down”
Now you may be thinking this is such a basic command, but believe it or not, a lot of dogs do not like laying down outside! Pair this command with a “head down” trick or even a cute head tilt and you just captured one of the sweetest pictures around!
Action shots!
Basically everybody loves action shots. There’s something so fun and carefree capturing a dog running full sprint or frolicking around.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I love capturing dogs from the side. Even more-so when they’re in action! You can capture their full stride and their body completely stretched out! I find I have the most luck capturing action shots this way (in regards to focus), but head-on action shots are another classic way to capture your dog in motion.
Photographing moving dogs from the side is actually quite simple. It requires an assistant! While I’m positioned off to the side, I have the owners toss a toy or stick straight out in front of them. I then track the dog through the camera as best I can as they sprint after their toy. I typically shoot low down to the ground as well to get more on their level and capture potential foreground too.
** An easy way to get head-on shots is to have the owner throw the toy right in the direction of the camera. Prepare to dodge a bullet quickly
though! 🤣 **
And again, by adding elements such as water, snow, sand, rain (the list goes on), you instantly create a sense of movement that you can truly feel in the photo!
A final tip
Worried you may not remember all of this information when you’re out shooting on location?
Screenshot any of the slides from this guide to save them to your phone so you have them with you during your next photo session!
www.thegoodmutt.com
@thegoodmuttphotography
If you referenced this posing guide to help you in your sessions, I’d absolutely love to see the results! Feel free to tag me on Instagram or DM me directly. 😊
If you made it to the end — wow, thank you. I hope you enjoyed this free guide!
I love free resources and want this to be something you can refer back to and be inspired by with different ideas. I hope to help other dog photographers in all levels of abilities, from beginner to professional, and am happy to assist in any way. This is something I’ve created on my own time for the sole purpose of inspiring and offering my knowledge to others.
Have more questions that didn’t get answered here? Feel free to reach out to me on my Instagram account below and I’d be more than happy to chat!
— Andrea