The Dog Park: April, Weeks 1 and 2

So, the point of this whole photo of the week practice is to actually get better at photography.  I definitely have my preference as to the types of photos that I take, so this month, I'm branching out with the help of some friends.

This month I'm trying my hand at action shots, and trust me, there is lots of action at the dog park.  I've gone a couple of times with my friend Courtney and her dog Pili.  Pili is a very energetic 6-year-old chocolate lab.  She is my favorite dog ever.  She loves the water, and the dog park very conveniently has a creek running through it.  It is the perfect opportunity for some water shots.

"Fetch!"
Canon SX40 HS
f/5
1/400
ISO 100
3/16/2013
Salt Lake City, UT

"Shake It Out"
Canon SX40 HS
f/3.5
1/500
ISO 100
3/16/13
Salt Lake City, UT
This is a fun shot, but I think it would have turned out better with a faster shutter speed.  Dogs just shake the water off so quickly that even 1/500 of a second is too slow to stop their motion altogether.  At the same time, I kinda like that she's a little blurred.  It does give a sense of motion, not that the action itself doesn't, but you  know what I mean.

I took both of these pictures using a manual setting, which I decided is a little difficult when you need to make quick adjustments.  Lesson number 1 from this: full manual mode is not always the best.  On my trip to the dog park last weekend (pictures from that trip for weeks 3 and 4), I tried a different mode, but even with that, I think that the preset mode for action shots is going to be my best bet for the dog park.  I'll probably go again in the next few weeks.  I'll try it out again and see what happens.