When you're looking through your stack of photos of your pet are they all nicely centered, in focus, looking sharp or is your pet half chopped off, blurring, or looking the other way? Taking great photos of your favorite pet is harder than it looks. All it takes is a little practice and you can be shooting fantastic photos of Fido. There's a lot that goes in to camera selection and we'll save that for another article. For now, it's just you, your camera & your pet. 1. The first step is patience. Your dog or cat probably has a much different agenda than you & if you're rushed, they're going to pick up on your anxiety & not look or feel relaxed. If the time you choose to photograph your pet is going to be on a tight schedule, it may be better to come back to it when you have the time. 2. The next important step is training. Your pet doesn't have to have a 4 year doggie school degree, but some basics will help. Simple commands like, Sit, Stay, Lay Down are easy to teach and will go a long ways in making your photo shoot more productive. Start your photo shoot with a quick little training refresher. Have some tiny, but yummy treats handy & just run them through the basics. Once you have their attention, they'll be focused on you and willing to please. 3. Have you decided where you'd like to take their picture? Is it by the lake, in the house or maybe in your own backyard? Choose a site that is free of distractions and at a time of day when the sun will be behind you to reduce shadows if you're outdoors. 4. A little help goes a long way, especially if you have multiple pets. Enlist your kids or friends to either help with the posing of your pets or handling of the camera. Keep it light & make it fun for everyone. If you feel you're getting stressed out...take five & let the animals take a breather too. But keep your camera handy, you may get some of your best shots when they're relaxing. 5. Take your pets fur color into consideration when choosing a background or if there's going to be someone in the picture with them. Posing with a black dog while youre wearing dark jeans will leave you with a photo a of dark blob. Consider colors that complement each other. In my experience, I've found that a digital camera works best with pets. You can take tons of photos and then only print the really good ones. Next time you see your pet doing something cute, keep your camera handy & snap away. |
