Wedding invitation photo - suggestions welcome

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clarkeg

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Clarke
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Hello all,

A friend of mine has asked me just to get one photo of him and his wife to be so they can use it for their wedding invitations.

There is no pressure as they just a want a simple photo of them in a local forest park but with one catch! They want their two dogs in on the shot too! (more her idea than his lol)

Currently I have my D300, 50 1.4g and a nikon 18-70 f3.5-4.5. The only thing I can think of is to get them to walk down one of the paths in the forest park and have their two dogs on leads and get a shot capturing them simply walking in a natural/casual format.

They are open to any suggestions but I think without the dogs being on leads (they have 2 golden retrievers) it will be pretty difficult to get them all in shot and to look good.

Any other suggestions for poses are more than welcome :) The only shots I do are of my 2 yr old son but I am more than confident with my kit it's just thinking of something nice for the actual shot.

Thanks
Clarke
 
Choose location and set up camera on tripod.

Get the couple to stand in position with the dogs sitting in front of them. Arm yourself with a piece of chocolate and let the dogs smell it in your hand but don't let them have it.

You will have their full attention, with ears up!

Move backwards to your camera facing the dogs and take pic.
 
admirable said:
Choose location and set up camera on tripod.

Get the couple to stand in position with the dogs sitting in front of them. Arm yourself with a piece of chocolate and let the dogs smell it in your hand but don't let them have it.

You will have their full attention, with ears up!

Move backwards to your camera facing the dogs and take pic.
Click to expand...

Great idea, I'll be giving that a go. Thanks :)
 
Get the couple to kneel down (they could squat, but it's less stable) either side of the two dogs sitting up side-by-side.

Whatever you do, don't let them hold the dogs around the neck to point their heads at the camera- it'll look as though they are being strangled in the shot.

Pose all four, get in position and sort your exposure out. Just before you take the shot give one short, sharp (loud) whistle. The dogs heads will come up and that's when you get the photos. Offering them bribes or treats can be counter productive, as they often try to lunge or pull towards you.

Getting the couple to kneel down squares off the image and allows you to shoot a lot closer in, rather than standing back in a portrait format or even further in landscape.
 
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DemiLion said:
Get the couple to kneel down (they could squat, but it's less stable) either side of the two dogs sitting up side-by-side.

Whatever you do, don't let them hold the dogs around the neck to point their heads at the camera- it'll look as though they are being strangled in the shot.

Pose all four, get in position and sort your exposure out. Just before you take the shot give one short, sharp (loud) whistle. The dogs heads will come up and that's when you get the photos. Offering them bribes or treats can be counter productive, as they often try to lunge or pull towards you.

Getting the couple to kneel down squares off the image and allows you to shoot a lot closer in, rather than standing back in a portrait format or even further in landscape.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that one too :)
 
Just a personal preference but i wouldn't use a tripod as its often tricky to get the right angle, photos of animals are at their most engaging when they are shot from level with them. Is there a bridge or hill you could have them coming over? With the dogs on leads you could have real fun with it!
 
Moos3h said:
Just a personal preference but i wouldn't use a tripod as its often tricky to get the right angle, photos of animals are at their most engaging when they are shot from level with them. Is there a bridge or hill you could have them coming over? With the dogs on leads you could have real fun with it!
Click to expand...

Yea there are a few hilly areas in the park although I know the light wouldn't be great in those areas as it is pretty much covered in overhanging trees. I guess it all depends on what the light is like at the time of taking the shots. Plenty of ideas now to play about with and have fun with.

Thanks
Clarke
 
Make sure its chocolate suitable for dogs though. Normal chocolate can be like poison to dogs.
 
Getting the dogs closer to you is one option, maybe they can throw a stick or ball past you, then catch the dogs running towards you (fast s/speed rqd!)

Alternatively raise the dogs, sit them all on a bench or get the dogs up on a raised platform?

Pose them tight and fill the frame.
 
I always use the squeaker out of a dog toy when photographing dogs. Get the human and dog heads on a level and close, either humans kneeling or everyone on a bench, make sure you have the camera at their eye level, and use the squeaker cautiously to get the dogs' attention. You may need to squeak harder depending on the dogs, but start off cautiously to avoid the chance of being buried under a heap of dogs!
 
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