Photographing a Dog Running Towards You!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2013. This discussion has gotten so large, I had to start a new discussion....Part Two.... and close this one.

I have been trying for weeks to get a good photograph of Fudge running towards me with her ball. I need help. I am shooting in AI Servo mode and snapping continuously as she runs towards me. Every time I think I have a good picture of her up close, when I download it to my computer, some part of her is blurry. What am I doing wrong?  How do I keep her in the frame right up until she gets to me and not have the image blurred? I am concentrating on using a shutter speed higher than 1/250 and preferring to stay over 1/500. Usually depending on my ISO, my aperture is somewhere more than 5. I think one of the problems is I need a greater DOF (narrower opening) or else I just do not have a steady enough hand as she runs right at me. I am not giving up, but I am getting discouraged. Do most of you use a tripod in a situation like this? What I think might be helpful to me is to see some motion shots with the settings used and what lens is being used. Is there one lens preferred by most for this type of shot? I am sorry if all this has been asked before.

Here are some outtakes....I have tons of these kinds of shots.

1/800, 5.0, ISO 200   Blurry

1/1000, 5.0, ISO 200  blurry

Farther away, better focus, too far for a good picture. 1/400. 5.6, ISO 100

1/400, 5.6, ISO 100

Is this just a case of I am not holding the camera still? Are my settings not right? I really want the up close shot and am not as interested in the shots just where she starts to run at me. Is my understanding of AI Servo incorrect? I thought if you focused correctly in the far away shot, as she runs towards me, if I maintain the focus point (her face), it will stay in focus. Any help will be appreciated. Thank you!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Enjoy!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Cookies  :)  Use cookies and they come. 

Sounds like the cruise was everyone doing the Ronna Squat.

Please, show us the example

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Not me....I can't even do a Ronna half squat :)

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

I can only get Haley to run toward me if I throw his ball and shoot him on the retrieve.  His recall isn't bad, he just doesn't run!  Lazy doodle.

Enjoy your new lens.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

LOL...that sounds like Vern, if Fudge is around with the ball :)

[Carol and Banjo]

Enjoy that new lens!!!       I've had success with putting Banjo in a sit/stay.....walking a good distance away....after putting the scent of a cookie in front of his nose.....squat with cookie conspicuously placed on one knee (he's keyed on to the cookie) and then calling him "Banjo, come...COOKIE"!      He usually comes running.

I just noticed a couple of weeks ago that I'm getting very good at squatting....something I wasn't so good at not too long ago.   Yeahhhhhh Photographing a Dog Running Towards You!!!!!!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

That's the trick, Carol.

I do not do this any longer with a ball.  He will come charging for the toy and....  He could care less his moma falls backward on her boo ha  ha flat with camera stuck up in the air.

Cookie works!  Sit, Stay, Cookie!

[Leslie and Halas]

Functional movement!  So photographing a dog running towards you counts as exercise!

I'll try it with a treat tonight.  Even though he plays flyball, I don't think he'd get a ball and bring it back to me.  He'd probably just stare at it, and wonder why I threw it.

[DJ & Chance]

LOL, Halas!  Such a cutie, even without movement.

[Camilla and Darwin]

LOL, enjoy the lens!!! That all sounds familiar process wise, only I lay on my stomach. He he.

[Leslie and Halas]

I had better luck at lunch, but it took a treat and removal of the leash to get him to really run towards me.  With the leash on, he was interested in the treat, but he kept looking behind him to see what was following him.  I also changed my settings to capture RAW and JPEG, so I'm excited to start working with RAW photos.  I'll try again after work and then post a few.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I'm excited to see them!