Settings for Photographing a Dog at the Beach

ellywelch

Wondering what settings you would recommend for photographing a dog at the beach? Thanks in advance. :)

Adelphos

One way to get close is to set your camera to auto or even shutter priority if he's running around and see what numbers your camera gives you automatically.

If you see anything that needs to be tweaked then bump the numbers up or down a bit accordingly. I really like learning how to work in manual mode but have found if my subject is moving fast it is a bit quicker to use shutter priority so I don't miss any shots.

Manual is like learning manual in a car. You just have to get out and do it over and over to learn what does what and why. :)

Moose

Howdy @ellywelch - I second what @Adelphos said. I would shoot primarily in Shutter priority (S on the mode dial) and set your shutter speed to 1/250 or higher.

I would also set your ISO to Auto and enable AF-C, which will allow you to continuously autofocus on your dog while half-pressing the shutter.

You might also try enabling burst mode, which will allow you to rattle off a quick burst of shots, increasing your odds of capturing a keeper.

Hope that helps and happy shooting! :)

GerardH

In high-contrast situations (snow, water, beach, bright sun, etc.), I prefer to go all manual and meter the subject prior to shooting to help mitigate underexposure. Using shutter or aperture priority, you're allowing the camera decide exposure/aperture settings and it could be easily fooled by the bright lighting usually found in a beach setting.