Luke Stackpoole (@withluke) is a professional lifestyle and adventure photographer with a passion for emotive storytelling through his photography. He tends to focus his work on the Nordic regions because of the everchanging weather, dramatic mountains and landscapes that inspire him out there. He’s spent the last couple of years traveling the world in search of some of the most unique environments to shoot, spending the majority of his time abroad creating photographic and video content for leading international brands such as the likes of Adobe & The North Face. We came across his Alpha Universe Profile and connected with him to learn more about how he captured this adorable sled dog shot with his Sony α7R IV and Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. See his story behind the shot below and create your own Alpha Universe Profile HERE for your chance to be featured on AlphaUniverse.com.

Who can resist a cute animal photo? Photographer shares how he captured sled dogs in frigid temps with a Sony α7R IV & 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens.

Photo by Luke Stackpoole. Sony α7R IV. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 500

In early 2020 I was commissioned by Visit Greenland to document my travel around the country through a series of images, one of which was this photo of the sled dog and her puppies. We’d just returned from an amazing sled dog ride near the Ilulissat Icefjord and I spotted this beautiful moment across the snowy outcrop by the town where the dogs are resting.  These Greenlandic sled dogs are able to stay comfortable down to -40 Celsius which is incredible, as being in those temperatures myself was a very demanding experience. When young however, the pups are kept cozy with the warm embrace of the mother. I think the photo really sums up “motherly love” and the instinct to protect and nurture one's young – it’s also incredibly cute!

Getting The Shot In Sub-Zero Temps

In order to capture this image, I used a Sony α7R IV alongside the Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master lens, a combination that held up very well in the sub-zero temperatures all day long. In order to get that smooth bokeh effect and keep at a reasonable distance from the dogs I shot this image while lying on the snow with the camera in front of me, at 400mm. My settings were: 1/1000-sec., f/5.6 and ISO 500.

This shot was handheld in order to get the right position on the ground, allowing me to get a nice amount of depth to the image through the blurred foreground and sky behind.

In order to process the image to my style, I kept this one fairly natural, just removing some distractions in Lightroom as well as adding a slight haze to the backdrop to create more of an atmospheric moment, with the focus fully on the subject.

Photo by Luke Stackpoole. Sony α7R IV. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 400

Photo by Luke Stackpoole. Sony α7R IV. Sony 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G Master. 1/1000-sec., f/5.6, ISO 500

The Sony 100-400mm GM is a staple in my camera bag and I couldn’t do what I do without it. The reach, sharpness and versatility allow me to capture details from afar with ease.

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