FE660: Chase the Dog - Photographing Dogs in Motion
Course Details
This is a course about photographing moving subjects, whether it be dogs, birds, or tractors.
There are no FDSA prerequisites for this class. However, this is an advanced photography class and not intended for students who are beginning photographers. (Shoot the Dog, also offered this term, is a great class to consider if you're not ready for this one!)
If you've ever wondered how the pros get those dynamic action shots, this is the class for you! You will learn strategies to improve the chances of getting your own dynamic action shots, as well as how to set reasonable expectations for the number of great images you'll get in any given session. (Hint: it's WAAAAY less than you think.)
Teaching Approach
This class will consist of a mix of written lectures and screen-capture videos. During Weeks 1-3, there will be two Photo Lab assignments per week. The bulk of the lectures will be released in these first three weeks.
Weeks 4-6 will be in the style of "Handler's Choice". There will be fewer lectures with new material. Instead of specific, directed assignments, Gold students are given the freedom to choose what to photograph and post (within the topic of photographing moving subjects), constrained by a weekly limit. Those details will be listed in the Homework forum.
GOLD STUDENTS have an "All Access Pass" for this class. You will complete the Photo Labs and receive feedback on the results. You can post in your own Homework Forum thread, as well as posting more general questions that may apply to all students here in the Class Discussion forum.
BRONZE STUDENTS are auditors and can read everything that is written, but not interact with the students or instructor directly.
See the "Prerequisites & Supplies" for details about the equipment I recommend for the class.
Amy Johnson (she/her) is the official show photographer for many of the premier agility events in the United States, including the AKC National Agility Championships, AKC Agility Invitational, USDAA Cynosport World Games, UKI US Open, and NADAC Championships, as well as numerous local trials, regional events, and breed national specialties. She has photographed a wide variety of dog sports, including agility, obedience, rally, and conformation. (Click here for full bio and to view Amy's upcoming courses.)
There are no FDSA class pre-requisites for this class. However, this is an advanced photography class and not intended for students who are beginning photographers. You must know how to shoot in Manual Exposure to take this class.
Students in Chase the Dog must have a strong understanding of how their DSLR or mirrorless camera works and be comfortable taking photos with it. This includes, but is not limited to:
Understand the three elements of exposure (shutter speed, aperture, and ISO)
Understand how the three elements of exposure impact the way an image looks
Be able to consistently choose the appropriate exposure for a subject
Be comfortable shooting in manual exposure mode
Be able to take tack-sharp photos of subjects that are stationary
Students may shoot in either RAW or JPG file format.
Camera recommendations
While a good photographer should be able to take good photos with any camera, photographing dogs in motion is one instance where a better camera will result in better photos.
Canon
Any of the 1D pro bodies (highly recommended, but very expensive)
Mirrorless R3, R5, R6 (these are exceptional cameras, especially for moving subjects)
Other Canon bodies can be used, but their autofocus systems may not perform as well under some conditions (low light, low contrast, or erratic movement)
Nikon
Z9
D5 or D6 pro bodies (highly recommended, but very expensive)
D500 (highly recommended and reasonably priced)
D850
Other Nikon bodies can be used, but their autofocus systems may not perform as well under some conditions (low light, low contrast, or erratic movement)
Sony
a1
a9, a9ii
a7iii, a7iv
a7Riii, a7Riv
Other Sony bodies can be used, but their autofocus systems may not perform as well under some conditions (low light, low contrast, or erratic movement)
Any other Canon, Nikon, or Sony DSLR/mirrorless camera is acceptable, but you may find that the camera struggles more to track the movement of your subject.
Lens recommendations (all cameras)
70-200mm f/2.8 or f/4
24-70mm f/2.8
24-105mm f/4
Any moderate zoom lens with a fixed maximum aperture
Variable aperture lenses are generally lower quality lenses and may not perform well under certain situations. However, they are acceptable for the class as long as the student acknowledges their limitations.
If you will be photographing in a smaller space (backyard), you will want to use a shorter lens (24-70mm or 24-105mm).
I shoot with Nikon, Canon, and Sony. I know the focus systems of these brands well and can offer technical tips and tricks for all of them. I do not know the focusing systems of any other brand -- Fuji, Olympus, etc. There is some information in this class that will translate to any camera, but some of my tips may only work for certain brands.
If you have specific questions about your gear and its suitability for the class, please email Amy at amy@focusedwild.com.
First we start with some vocabulary to make sure we are all on the same page. I will avoid using brand-specific terminology and stick to the more general terms instead.
Plane of Focus is the portion of the photo that is sharply focused. It is established when you engage your camera’s autofocus system and tell it where to focus.
Here is a very short video demonstrating Plane of Focus:
Continuous focus mode or focus tracking is the autofocus mode notated by AF-C in Nikon and AI-Servo in Canon. This is the focus mode where the camera will continually refocus as the subject (or the camera!) moves. This is often (but not always) the best way to get sharp photos of moving subjects.
In continuous focus mode, the Plane of Focus (POF) is constantly changing as the distance between the camera and the subject changes.
Single shot focus mode or focus lock is the autofocus mode notated by AF-S in Nikon and One Shot in Canon. This focus mode is the one that allows you to focus on something and it will stay locked at that distance until you decide to refocus elsewhere. When you use focus lock, you are establishing the Plane of Focus (POF) at a certain distance away from the lens and the camera. You are *not* telling the camera to stay focused on a certain thing, so if you move the camera, the POF moves with you.
Active autofocus (AF) point is the single focus point you are allowing the camera to use to take the photo. We use a single focus point because we are control freaks. We want to be precise when we select the part of the image that should be in focus. Your camera should have a control button or dial that allows you to quickly change which AF point is active. The center AF point is not always the best point to use. The more comfortable you are moving that active point around, the faster you will be able to compose your shots in-camera, even when the motion is coming at you quickly.
TYPES OF MOTION
In my head, photographing motion is broken up into two broad categories -- motion that is predictable and motion that is unpredictable. The settings you use can depend on which types of motion you are photographing. Don’t panic if this doesn’t all make sense at first. This is the really broad view of the entire class and we’re going to take six weeks to start to figure it out.
Predictable motion with pre-focus
Predictable motion with pre-focus is the kind where you know what the dog’s path is going to be, such as in agility. In addition, there must be some fixed point along the dog’s path where you can pre-focus (using single shot focus mode) and wait for the dog to “break through” the POF. In agility, the obstacles themselves serve that purpose.
Agility it the poster child for predictable motion with pre-focus. The success of the shots does depend on the dog following the course as it’s numbered. It also depend on being able to visualize the POF and pick a point on the obstacle that makes the most sense to capture the moment you want as the dog performs the obstacle. It’s all one big strategy game to me — a puzzle to work out in my head. Sometimes I pick right and I win (get the shot) and sometimes I choose poorly and I lose (miss the shot).
The active focus point is chosen to minimize the amount of recomposing the shot. When you recompose (move the camera slightly to make the composition of the shot better), you also shift the POF slightly. This can sometimes work in your favor, but more often than not, it doesn't.
The other consideration for choosing your active focus point is the background. If there are lots of straight lines and high contrast, you know that the camera is going to be drawn to that like a bee to honey. Selecting a focus point that uses an area where the camera can’t get confused about what you want it to focus on is critical to achieving a tack-sharp image.
Predictable without Pre-focus
There are some kinds of motion that are predictable but have to be photographed with continuous focus. Obedience, Rally, and lure coursing are three that come to mind. Horse dressage would be another. The dog (or horse) is following a pre-determined path or pattern, but there is nothing along that path to allow us to pre-focus. In those cases, we use continuous focus, but we should have a very smooth motion as we’re following the dog with the camera, since we know where the dog is going next.
Once you’ve gotten experience with this type of predictable motion, you will find that you have a much better keeper rate since you can predict where the dog is going to be.
Unpredictable motion
Everything else is unpredictable motion. This includes dog sports like nose work and disc dog, as well as those crazy play sessions that take place in your backyard or out on a hike. That unpredictability is what makes taking these kinds of photos so difficult. We follow the dog’s motion with the camera as best we can, but any quick turn or unexpected motion may cause the camera’s autofocus system to lose track of the subject and result in blurry pictures.
With unpredictable motion, there is no opportunity to pre-focus, so we have to use continuous focus mode. The active focus point is chosen to keep the dog in the appropriate part of the frame to allow for adjusting the composition after the fact. There’s an art to finding the right balance of shooting too tight and shooting too wide.
The critical skill to develop with unpredictable motion is panning. Your movements need to be smooth and steady. You have to keep the active focus point locked on a point on your subject that will make the face (especially the eyes) the sharpest part of the image. You need to anticipate where your subject might go next in order to keep it in the frame.
Capturing unpredictable motion, particularly motion of fast-moving dogs, is one of the hardest types of photography there is. You will have a million duds that just end up in the trash. Over time, you learn strategies and techniques that will improve the odds of getting more shots in focus.
This purpose of this class is to teach you some of the strategies and techniques that I have developed over the years. You will not be an expert at it at the end of six weeks. But you will have a start on training your eye and your mind to anticipate what is going to happen and react faster. You will develop a feel for your equipment and know what it is capable of, as well as knowing what kinds of things will be almost impossible to photograph.
In your first Photo Lab, you will think about the types of motion you usually photograph and categorize them according to these terms. Is it Predictable with Pre-focus? Or Predictive without Pre-Focus? Or is it Unpredictable? (More detailed instructions follow in a separate post.)
A sampling of what prior students have said about this course...
Amy, you are an awesome teacher and I LOVE your classes! The lectures, labs, and feedback in both the discussion forums and the homework forums are informative and easy to follow. Your addition of the various video analysis for different techniques has been wonderful and extremely helpful. My gear is mostly just entry level and for various reasons always will be but through the classes that I've taken with your I feel that I am able to maximize my results through the info you've provided and despite the limitations my photography has improved far further than I ever imagined. I still have lots to learn and I will surely keep taking your classes anytime they are offered. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to be on this journey with you. Thank you!
I loved this class. It really pushed me beyond my comfort zone and made me grow as an amateur photographer. Just what I was hoping for with this class. I am looking forward to future classes with Amy!
As always, Amy is amazing. She has a gift not only for photography but for sharing her passion and knowledge with all the rest of us. She is always positive and always encouraging, even when telling us that we've totally blown it. Can't wait for the next class!
This was a really great class. Super practical and lots of information that is just not available anywhere else. Great job Amy!
I've been wanting to take a photography course for a long time, but they always focus on people (portraits mostly, and often on wedding photography) or landscape photography. When a course came up for dogs in motion? I knew I was going to join in on this as soon as I saw it! Amy is phenomenal in every way. Not only is she an amazing photographer, but she THINKS her way through it. And she's able to explain it to her students in terms that make complete sense (which, as someone who has taught online classes herself, I know is NOT the easiest thing). Her video series walking us through her thought process when she takes photos has been invaluable. I learned so much just by getting a glimpse inside her mind. If anyone wants to know more about photography, and especially in relation to our dogs, this is THE PLACE to take a photography class.
Registration
Next session starts: June 1, 2023Registration starts: May 22, 2023Registration ends: June 15, 2023
Instructor: Amy Johnson
