Anne Geier, a photographer from Austria, has a beautiful gift of capturing soulful portraits of dogs. Some of her best work is created in autumn, thanks to the golden colors and a misty weather adding a perfect magical atmosphere, which makes the portrait stand out even more.

Anne Geier has kindly agreed to talk to Bored Panda about her passion for dog photography and share some photography tips. “Photography was relatively early an important part of my life,” she told Bored Panda. “But the real passion developed about 7 years ago. My first dog Cindy was the reason why I started to deepen my knowledge in photography, especially dog photography. I pursued one main goal – I wanted to create moments of Cindy for eternity. This year in August I lost Cindy. Losing her left a big emptiness inside me. I miss her every day and now I appreciate it more than ever that I have made so many different pictures of her,” shared Anne.

Be sure to read between the stunning photos for more of Anne’s interview!

More info: annegeier.com | Facebook

Photographing animals can be quite difficult, but for Anne there’s nothing better. Of course, it has its challenges: “I thing the most challenging thing in dog photography is to capture the real character and soul of the dog to create a living photo. Therefore it is really important to get involved with the dog to create the perfect pic of him,” shared Anne with Bored Panda.

“Each dog has his own emotions and expressions. Some of them are ridiculous, others are very concentrated.”

“One of my absolutely favorite photos is  the photo of my dog Cindy (photo above). I like it so much because I think it’s one of the most soulful portraits I have ever taken. It shows Cindy´s character in every way – her good nature, her calmness, her beauty, her faithfulness and her balance.”

Inspiration is very important for every photographer, so we asked Anne what inspires her everyday: “Most time I get the inspiration of the dog itself during the photo shooting. Every dog has a different personality.”

“Sometimes I also get inspired by different landscapes. Often while I am going for a walk with my own dog Finn I see a place that I like and at the same time I create a complete image in my mind. At that time I know where I want the dog to sit, what weather I would prefer to shoot in to get the mood I want and so on. Afterwards I try to make the photo I imagined.”

“I think the main reason why my photos are that colorful is that I am always careful about the light conditions. During sunny days I only take photos in the early morning hours or at the evening. Only at this time the light is gentle enough to create such intense colors. I love taking photographs on cloudy days without any sun and I love to use back-light.”

“I have a full-frame camera Nikon d750, a 85mm 1.8, 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.8, 16-35mm 4.0 and my favorite lens the Nikkor 70 – 200 2.8, it’s a great all rounder – it’s quick, sharp and versatile. But when I take pictures with my own dogs, I often prefer a fixed focal length, especially the 35mm 1.8.  For editing I use Photoshop CC.”

Anne was glad to give some advice for dog photography beginners so you could also get that perfect shot: “Firstly, you need to shoot at eye level: shooting at eye-level helps the dogs stance appear more natural and gives a different view to what we usually see…”

“…You also need to catch their attention: dogs are easily distracted, but those who like to play make good subjects for action images. For static shots use toys, treat or funny noises to keep their attention…”

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“…Be sure to capture the lights in the eyes: ensuring you get light reflected in the dog’s eyes helps show their expression. You should also use a large aperture: to make the background blurry and keep the focus on the dog…”

“…And most importantly, have fun!”

We’d like to thank Anne for giving Bored Panda an interview and we wish her the best of luck!

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