P#15: A Stunning Photo Of a Blue Eyed Dog

Let's Make Some Noise

Jenni Bidner: This is a picture of Buddy. He's a mixed breed search and rescue dog .

He was not happy when he had to sit down and take a picture. You can see by his ears. He's a long-eared dog and they're crunched up and he looks a little miserable and tortured. (click the image for a larger version)

Throwing my keys in the air or squeaking a toy suddenly got his attention. His ears perked forward and he became an alert and active looking dog. That is the only change we made there, yet it almost looks like a different blue eyed dog. One is miserable and one is a classic portrait.

Audri Lanford: Wow, the eyes are so different in these two pictures. In this one they're sparkling.

Jenni Bidner: That noise or motivation is going to be different with each dog. Usually the owner can tell you really quick, or you just run the through the litany of each one (unless your pointer has stolen them from your camera bag).

The duck call works great. It's like a little whistle that you blow and can hold in your mouth like a cigar so you have your hands free. Or you can have an assistant behind you squeaking a toy behind your head to get the dog to look straight at the camera.

In this shot, I wanted the eyes a little raised, so we threw something up in the air. That often works well too. This blue eyed dog was really a happy camper.

In Summary

If you want to capture a dog's attention, there are a few tricks of the trade that master photographers use. Try making some noise or using squeak toys to get the dog interested, as Jenni Bidner did in the photo of this blue eyed dog.