Can anyone give me any pointers in shooting a dog for the first time in photography?(candid , no studio)?

A well tranined dog
and/or
older dog..puppies are full of energy and jumping and scared easily

If he is small dog get him sitting if he is big get him running

Have the camera in your hand and ready at all times and be very patient.

use a shutter speed of 250th at least, i did my cat recently and they are difficult and dont know how to pose..........Spotti just wouldnt co operate at all, kept on moving!!

heres an example: http://flickr.com/photos/martini2005/191...

a

it really depends on the dog.

My small dog will just sit there and look at me. She is about 6 yr old.

My parent's dog is mid sized, hyper, about 4 yr old and camera shy. with her you have to catch her by suprise, if she sees the camera she will run off.

One thing that you will notice about Antoni's cat is that you are looking level with its eyes. This gives the viewer a connection with the animal rather than looking up or down at it. Antoni took the time to engage the subject. I think dogs look best outdoors. Careful of your background. Experiment using flash and not using flash, done will it can put highlights in the creature's eyes. Take your time and interact with the mutt. It will relax and you will see different aspects of its personality.

All the best, teef_au

try different ideas, different angles. shoot from above and from the same level as the dog (if you can without being licked!). work with the dog's personality. if it is too interested in what you're doing to hold still, get a helper to play with it. you can always get an action shot (use a fast shutter speed!) of it fetching or just generally running around. if it's a more leisurely sort, move around it while it lays there. in general, it's easier to shoot outdoors (better light). if you're indoors, you can use window light to nice effect.

Grab your camera, (or any camera) and your dog and go lay in the grass for awhile. When he is very content there, then start shooting.

In addition to what everyone else said (except maybe shotgun guy), get a picture of the dog eating or drinking water. If he knows any tricks, get an action shot of that.

Animals, like children , are best photographed at their eye level. If you can't lower yourself, raise the dog. Also, a "bark" or other strange sound from you will often cause the dog to pick up their ears, looking more alert.

meet my cat
http://www.flickr.com/photos/perki88/389...

If it's not your dog, take some time to let the animal get familiar with you. If the dog doesn't trust you, it's going to be hard to get a good pic.

Get down to the animals level, get some action shots. Be prepared to move a lot and get into position. Use a high shutter speed like Antoni recommended when doing action shots.

you may want to re-phrase your question... nobody will give you pointers to kill a dog.

Never use a shotgun it gets messy.I'd recommend a smaller gun maybe something you could hold in your hand like a 45.

Put down lots of bed sheets to soak up the blood.

You guys are sick here.