Pool Locations for Dog Photographs

By Kim Rodgers and Sarah Sypniewski from Dog Photography For Dummies

If you have access to a private pool, let Victor have free reign of a personal body of water for some great shots! Photographing at the pool is similar to shooting at natural bodies of water, so similar principles apply.

Try a polarizing filter to cut down on glare and make your blues even bluer. You can also try one at the beach. They’re easy to use and yield some pretty fantastic results.

If you don’t want to buy one (or if you use a compact digital camera), you can hold a pair of polarized sunglasses in front of your lens instead. Don’t believe us? Try it. Experiment by rotating the filter (or sunglasses) to get the effect you want. Oh, and try to keep the sun at your side for best results.
The ideal position for you to be in is one or two steps into the pool (hold onto that camera!).
Make sure your camera is set to shutter-priority mode because swimming and cannonballing into the pool are action-packed events.
Setting up your shot requires a bit of extra effort so Victor doesn’t look like a flailing beast and instead looks like a graceful gazelle, leaping through the water (you know, if gazelles leapt through water). An assistant would be ideal here so you can stage yourself on the steps and just worry about photographing.

Your friend can then set herself up on the other side of the pool, grab whatever toy Victor likes to fetch, and pretty much chuck it at your head (or in the pool at your feet if she has good aim).

Ideally, Victor goes in after it, and as soon as he makes a move, start snapping and continue doing so until he’s out of the pool. Simply repeat until you get your shot (or until Victor’s done playing “gazelle in the pool”).