What better way to learn about your camera, and taking action shots, than going outside and playing with a dog that loves to play!

I’ll be the first to admit, I did not know anything about taking action shots when I started this little exercise. I’ll also be the first to admit that I still do not know anything about taking action shots, but I do know my camera a little better.

Thud, my sister’s playful pup, was the subject of this test, and he was more than willing to chase after his ball time and time again, as I tried to catch him in action. The great thing about digital cameras, you can take all kinds of shots and then simply delete the ones you don’t like…there was a lot of deleting!

But, I did get a few interesting shots too, and I learned a lot about the camera.

Thud was a lot slower on the return trip than he was going after the ball, made him a little easier to catch on ‘film’

…even when he wasn’t chasing the ball, he didn’t like staying still.

Lesson 1 – throw enough balls, take enough pictures, and you’ll get one or two cool shots even if you don’t know what you’re doing

The light was a little harsh…it was pretty much noon, but this is still one of my favourite shots.

It was a good exercise and lots of fun playing with Thud, I think I even learned a few things.