Jeg tar bilde av hunden i hagen.

Yes. Å ta bilde (av noe/noen) is the normal Norwegian way to say to take a picture (of something/someone).

So:

• Jeg tar bilde av hunden = I’m taking a picture of the dog

Very often you will also hear:

• Jeg tar et bilde av hunden

That version includes et and is also completely natural.

Both are possible.

• Jeg tar bilde av hunden i hagen
• Jeg tar et bilde av hunden i hagen

In everyday Norwegian, leaving out the article in this expression is common, especially in speech. It works a bit like a fixed phrase.

A learner should know that:

• ta bilde = common, idiomatic
• ta et bilde = also common, a little more explicit

So the sentence without et is not wrong at all.

Here, av means of.

• et bilde av hunden = a picture of the dog

This is the normal preposition used for the subject of the picture.

Compare:

• Jeg tar bilde av hunden = I take a picture of the dog
• Jeg snakker om hunden = I talk about the dog

So in this sentence, av connects bilde to what is being photographed.

Because hunden means the dog, while hund means dog / a dog.

Norwegian often adds the definite article to the end of the noun:

• en hund = a dog
• hunden = the dog

So:

• av hunden = of the dog
• av en hund = of a dog

Since the meaning has already been given to the learner, this is simply the definite form.

For the same reason as hunden.

• en hage = a garden
• hagen = the garden

So:

• i hagen = in the garden
• i en hage = in a garden

Norwegian usually marks definiteness by adding an ending to the noun.

The most natural reading is that the dog is in the garden:

• I’m taking a picture of the dog in the garden

However, structurally, the phrase can be a little ambiguous without extra context. In real life, people would normally understand it from the situation.

If you want to make things clearer, Norwegian can rephrase:

• Jeg tar bilde av hunden som er i hagen = I’m taking a picture of the dog that is in the garden
• Jeg tar bilde av hunden mens jeg står i hagen = I’m taking a picture of the dog while I’m standing in the garden

But in the original sentence, the default interpretation is usually that the dog is in the garden.

Yes. Tar is the present tense of å ta.

• å ta = to take
• tar = take / am taking / is taking, depending on context

Norwegian present tense often covers both simple present and present continuous meanings from English.

So Jeg tar bilde av hunden i hagen can mean:

• I take a picture of the dog in the garden
• I am taking a picture of the dog in the garden

In real use, the second meaning is often the more natural one.

This is the normal basic Norwegian sentence order:

• Subject + verb + rest
• Jeg
  • tar
    • bilde av hunden i hagen

So it follows a standard pattern similar to English:

• I take a picture of the dog in the garden

Norwegian word order becomes especially important when something else comes first. Then the verb still stays in second position:

• I hagen tar jeg bilde av hunden = In the garden, I’m taking a picture of the dog

This is part of the Norwegian V2 word order system.

Yes, absolutely. That is very natural.

Many learners may actually find et bilde easier at first because it looks more like English:

• Jeg tar et bilde av hunden i hagen = I’m taking a picture of the dog in the garden

So if you are learning, both are useful:

• ta bilde = common idiomatic expression
• ta et bilde = equally correct and very common

Sometimes, yes, but bilde is the normal everyday word here.

• bilde can mean picture, image, or photo, depending on context
• In this sentence, because of tar, it clearly means a photo

You may also hear:

• Jeg tar et foto av hunden = I take a photo of the dog

But ta bilde is usually the more natural everyday choice.

No, not in this sentence.

When talking about what the picture shows, Norwegian normally uses av:

• et bilde av hunden = a picture of the dog

Using på would usually not work here in standard usage for the subject of the photo.

Learners often mix these up because English uses of, while Norwegian uses several prepositions in different situations. In this expression, the safe choice is:

• ta bilde av noen/noe

The dictionary form is å ta.

Important forms are:

• å ta = to take
• tar = take / am taking
• tok = took
• har tatt = have taken

So from the sentence:

• Jeg tar bilde av hunden i hagen

you can identify:

• tar as the present tense of å ta