Three Tips for photographing dogs in winter light

You might think winter weather is a no-no for photography but you’d be surprised. Low sunshine, lovely flat light thanks to clouds and misty atmospheric conditions often make for moody and beautifully lit photographs. Here are three tips to make the most of it, so put on your hat and big coat and get out there with your phone or camera!

1. The sun is low in the sky

We get a longer ‘golden hour’ in the winter months and this means very harsh overhead light is out. Go out an hour or two late afternoon when the sun is really low (and the light is often beautiful). The light will hit your dog on one side of their face, illuminating their fur like a big golden soft box. Bonus if its been crisp, blue sky day too - there’s likely to be a good sunset!

2. Flat sky? Use it.

Cloudy conditions mean soft or non-existent shadows which means hardly any contrast. What this means in practice is that you’ll get lovely, even light across your subject. Especially great for snapping black dogs which are notoriously difficult to get good portraits of.

3. Mist or foggy conditions.

Photographers love mist and light fog because it adds an ethereal feel to images. Don’t be put off by a bit of bad weather - instead, head into it, and see what effects you can create on your dog walk. Again, the light will be flat and the background hazy - perfect for keeping the focus on your subject!

If winter weather is your idea of cosy, and you’d love a professional, atmospheric dog portrait, get in touch to discuss a location that will give you a moody set of photographs of your best pal, or sign up for the mailing list for more tips and tricks.

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