Comment on Deliquesce-Flux's profile
Hi! I'm going to be attending Crufts in March this year, and I was hoping to take s few photos. I saw that you do a lot of work in dog shows, and was wondering if you had any tips? I don't think I'll see flyball or agility, so nothing very fast moving. Thanks!
Hi there!
Have a blast!
Have a blast!
Essentially, what I've learned from dog shows are that telephoto and zoom lenses are you friends. Canines often get distracted by camera equipment and the owners don't fancy this. It's always better to have a long lens that allows you to stay a distance back while still get excellent close-up shots.
As I am in the USA and Crufts is a UK event, is it primarily outdoor or indoor? If it's indoor, lenses that have an F-stop of 2.8 or lower are excellent, as they let in a lot of light. Indoor dog shows are often darker than one would like. You can get away with using a lens that has an F-stop of 4.0...but 2.8 and lower are always better! If it's outdoor, your lens F-stop won't matter too much unless you want a really shallow depth of field. The lower the f-stop, the shallower the depth of field.
Compositionally, try to get as low to the ground as possible. Eye level to the dog is excellent, as there is a subconsciously implied concept that taking photographs from above demeans the animal, while taking images eye level or lower puts the animal in a favorable position. It's strange, but quite a bit of psychological theory goes into photography.
I know you said you probably won't be shooting anything fast moving, but just in case... all you need for moving subjects is a high shutter speed. 2000 or higher. Remember, the higher the shutter, the darker the image, so adjust your ISO level accordingly. Regardless of whether you shoot a moving subject or not, because you are dealing with an animal that can spontaneously move (they aren't robots, haha), be sure to set your focus mode to AI SERVO. This mode automatically refocuses on the subject as it moves! That's how I nab all of those agility photographs without having to focus my camera ever time.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you so so much for your help! It's an indoor event, so I hope my little camera will cope! 
You are welcome! 