Just like photographs of your kids, you'll always
want photographs of your pets to put online, to
print, and to share with others. But how do you
take a picture of your pet that looks great and
captures them at their best? Whether they stay
still or bounce around, pets are a tricky subject
for photography. After reading the hints in this
article, you'll go from pet snapshots to pet
masterpieces.
!! Steps !!
* Having the camera on you makes it easy to capture those
moments. Have your camera with you. Stating the obvious? It\'s
not. Many people miss precious pet moments by not having their
camera with them when spending time with their pets. What\'s more,
if your pet gets used to you having your camera [1] on you,
they'll be more inclined to concentrate on doing cute things
rather than on taking interest in your camera or even being afraid
of it. Today's high quality small digital cameras make it easy to
take your camera with you when playing with your pets, walking
them, or just spending time together, so remember to carry it with
you.
A pet portrait - this dog just can't wait to get on the move!
Consider your pet's personality. Before you start photographing
your pet, ask what sets your pet apart from other animals. This
shouldn't be too hard since you've spent a lot of time raising
and caring for your pet. The aim is to capture the parts of your
pet's personality that bring out your pet's best, and knowing
the right moments likely to give rise to these aspects of your
pet's personality is helpful.
* For example, if everyone knows your pet as a sleepy [2], lazy or
placid little creature, set up your photo shoot around his bed or
near where he goes after a meal to lie in the sun and you'll
have every chance of capturing a shot that sums up your pet
completely. Alternatively if your pet is hyperactive, inquisitive
[3] and always on the move, it might be better to do your shoot at
a local park where he's racing around, jumping for balls, or
playing with other animals.
Think about context. Choosing the location for
the perfect pet shot is dependent on where your
pet is feeling at ease and comfortable. For
dogs [4], that's almost anywhere you are but
for less boisterous and shyer animals, the best
context might be on their terms rather than on
yours.
* Find a location that will evoke memories and emotions for you as
the pet's owner, in years to come. For example, you might have a
place that you and your pet have shared some special moments
together, a place that will mean a lot in the future as you look
back over your shots.
* Aim to keep the background simple. Consider the background of
your shots carefully. Ultimately you don't want your backgrounds
to distract from your photo – sometimes the best locations are
the plainest ones, such as a large patch of green grass, a well
lit room with white walls and plain carpet [5], etc., can be
ideal. Equally, they might appear too plain and sterile, so pay
attention to such details. And what you certainly don't want is
the garbage can or a boring or ugly wall backdrop! Bear in mind
that if the different elements in the background of the shot don't
add to it, avoid them.
* Read How to improve composition in your photos [6] for more
details.
Outdoors is best!Be aware of the best lighting situations. When
it comes to pets, lighting is especially important. For
starters, it is not recommended to use the flash because it
distracts animals easily and can frighten a good number of them
too. Flashes also create spooky red-eye problems [7] with some
animals and while you could photoshop this out, it's best
avoided. The only real exception is when you're photographing a
pet with very dark or black fur, as the black or dark fur tends
to absorb light and flash can add detail. With dark furry pets,
you might want to slightly over-expose [8] your images for this
same reason.
* Be careful not to over-expose white pets. Prefer outdoor light
as much as possible because it is the best natural light option,
comes in an array of wonderful colors that indoor light doesn't,
and outside photo shoots tend to work best. Keep in mind that with
white pets, you run the risk of over-exposing shots so try to find
a location out of direct sunlight and definitely avoid a flash.
* Get good natural light positions if indoors. If you want to
take indoor photos, try to stage the shots near a well lit window
or in a room with plenty of natural light streaming in. Don't use
a direct flash because this will cause washed-out photos and might
harm your pet's eyes and raise the fear factor.
* Use exposure compensation, all the time. On digital cameras this
is one of the most important adjustments. Look on your LCD screen
and watch for terminal underexposure or highlights blown out to
pure white (or close to it). Adjust the exposure compensation as
necessary.
* Read How to use light in photography [9] for more details.
Set up your camera for speed so that you can freeze motion like
this. Set up your camera. If you\'re going to get great shots,
it\'ll pay you well to be familiar with a few critical
adjustments. Many pets present a challenge to photographers
because they\'re active and always on the move. The key with any
subject that's on the move is to freeze their action by using
a fast shutter speed. Most digital cameras these days will allow
you to shoot in full manual mode if you feel confident [10]
enough to get the mix between shutter and aperture right –
alternatively you can work in shutter priority mode where you
set the shutter speed [11] and the camera automatically does the
rest by picking a good aperture to work with your shutter speed.
If you find the following sub-steps confusing, or if you don't care
about technical trivia, feel free to ignore these details; composition
and lighting are much more important and interesting.
* _ Slower ISO speeds result in less noisy pictures – but
require longer shutter speeds, which are worse for freezing
motion. Don\'t sweat this too much; "Auto" usually works fine.
Kick up the ISO as far as you dare. Faster ISOs mean faster
shutter speeds [12], all else being equal, which allow you to
freeze motion. Higher ISOs mean more noise though, so play with it
until you reach a level of noise you find acceptable. If your
camera has the ability to set ISO automatically, ignore the
preceding two sentences and use it, and set your camera to
shutter-priority mode to ensure you get a fast enough shutter
speed. The last alternative is to use "sports" mode, which will
mean the camera will select the fastest shutter speed possible for
your situation.
* Shot on a Canon A-1 35mm camera [13] in program automatic on
Ilford XP2. Automate as much as you can. Set your camera to one of
its automatic modes [14], and fully programmed automatic if that's
what gets the results you want. Animals move too fast to give you
time to operate everything manually.
* Set up your camera for speed. If your pet is a fast mover, you
might also want to consider shooting in continuous mode (burst
mode) to take a quick series of shots in a row. This can also lead
to a wonderful sequence of shots that work well together. Use
continuous shooting and continuous auto-focus; exactly what this
will be called depends on your camera – read your camera's
manual for details.
* Once you've got your shutter speed nice and fast, make sure your
camera is always at the ready so you can anticipate the actions of
your pet.
A boring snapshot: too far away, and taken from a human's eye
level. Take a pet's-eye-view of the world when taking your
photographs. Get down on your pet's level where you can look at
them eye to eye. Images taken by a photographer standing up and
looking down on your pets not only leave you too far away from
your subject but they also mean the shots end up displaying the
"human perspective" – and look like snapshots, not portraits.
Getting down at your pet's level means you enter their world and
get a glimpse of what life looks like from their angle –
you'll be impressed by the results as they're more personal and
have a real element of intimacy.
* Don't be afraid to lie on your stomach on
the ground if it gets a more interesting picture. Get as close to
their level as you possibly can. Roll around to take pictures of
your pet from different and unusual angles. Use your imagination
[15].
Same dog as last step, same camera, better picture: take pictures
at their_ level and get as close as you can. Get in close. Pets
come in all shapes and sizes but in most cases, they're smaller
or shorter than a human and as a result they tend to end up
getting a little lost in photos unless you make an effort to get
up close to them. Of course, getting close is not always easy,
especially if you have a pet that likes to move around, but
it's worth making the effort as the detail that can be gained
and the personality that can be captured by an
up-close-and-personal photo shoot with a pet can really lift a
photo to a new level. Move yourself closer when you can and
ensure that there aren't any distracting elements in the frame.
* If you can't physically get close to your pet, get your camera
equipped with a zoom lens [16]. The added benefit of a long focal
length is that it will help with isolating your pet in terms of
depth of field (that means, giving you a nice blurry background
[17] so that your pet is the center of attention with no
distractions).
* Try a wide angle lens [18]. A wider angle lens allows you to get
in close (point 3) but also fits in a lot of the pet. The other
benefit of it is that using a wider angle lens will often give
your image a little distortion that will give your image a new
creative and fun perspective. Read up on ways to use the wide
angle lens distortion creatively; or just experiment.
_ Take lots of pictures; pets change from second to second. Catch
your pet unawares. Wait for your pet to do something cute (or just
looking cute, as pets do) and take your pictures. Take as many as
you can, since animals are doing something different from second
to second, and taking many photos is free on digital (and on film
you can justify it to yourself by thinking of how much film you
could shoot with the digital camera [19] you didn't_ buy). Play
with your pet. Take pictures while someone else plays with your
pet. Get them engaged and active. You never know what they'll do.
_ Spontaneous and candid is much better than posed.Take care with
posed pet shots. Apart from the near-impossibility of getting a pet
to stay still for long enough, the best photographs come from
animals doing what they do best: acting cute and behaving
spontaneously. A favorite toy and some treats [20] go much, much_
further than unnatural pet clothes and everything else that
typically goes wrong with amateur "posed" photographs.
* If you really want to try posed shots,
photograph them candidly, paparazzi style. It's fun to take shots
while your dog digs up flowers, as your dog buries a bone, as he
falls and chases a bee around. When you just sit there and wait
for his antics to start, you can photograph him the whole time
without him even noticing.
* Mix up your framing. Pets, like human
subjects, look different from different angles and framing them in
a variety of ways can bring out different perspectives to your
shots. In your photo shoot, take some tightly cropped facial shots
(even focusing right in on single features like eyes, noses, ears,
whiskers [21], etc.) but also make sure you take three quarter
body shots as well as full body shots. This way, you end up with a
series of shots that give viewers of your photos a full
perspective on who your pet is.
* Be playful [22]. Pets can be playful little
critters and rather than attempting to contain this to get them
posed for that special shot it's often very effective to go with
their playfulness and make it a central feature of your image.
Include their toys, stimulate them to look longingly into your
camera by holding a special treat above your head or take a
picture with them sitting on top of you mid-wrestle, etc. Make
your photo shoot a fun experience for both you and your pet, and
your shots are likely to reflect your enjoyment.
!! Video !!
Here are some extra tips for shooting pictures of your pets or
children.
!! Tips !!
* _ Keep the eyes in focus; this is where people instinctively
look. People instinctively look at the eyes and photographs are no
different. Pets do the same. When taking at photographs, make sure
you're focused on them. Use your autofocus lock if you're on an
autofocus camera.
* Sharing is good. And get kids and animals together for optimal
cuteness. It\'s said that you should "never work with children or
animals".[1] [23] That's for portraits. Posing just isn't in their
short list. But get them together and let them do their thing; it
can make for wonderfully cute, spontaneous photographs.
* Sleeping pets make for great close-up photographs. Eventually
your pet will get tired and fall asleep. Take pictures! As well as
looking extra-adorable while asleep, it's also easier to get much,
much closer to them without them taking too much interest in you
and your camera (namely, trying to eat the latter).
* Lose your tripod. You don't need it. If you're shooting a huge
telephoto that requires one to reduce the consequent camera shake,
you're not getting close enough. If you find yourself using
shutter speeds too long for shorter lenses, you're just going to
end up with a blur as your pet moves around. Pets are moving
targets, and tripods are almost never_ necessary for shorter
lenses in good light.
!! Warnings !!
* If you're taking photos indoors (and you shouldn't be), at the
very least, bounce your flash [24] off the ceiling rather than
firing it directly at your pet. Direct flash indoors makes for
uninteresting photos, as mentioned earlier; but powerful flashes
fired directly into the eyes of a subject at close range scares
your pet unmercifully, and it also carries the risk of damaging
your pet's eyes.
!! Things You\'ll Need !!
* Time to dedicate to being with your pet
* A camera that you're _very_ familiar with
* Your pet
* Space to let the pet play and be active
* A variety of film speeds if using film
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Take Digital Pictures of Pets [25]
* How to Photograph Cats [26]
* How to Take Great Photos of Your Dog [27]
* How to Train Your Dog to Look Happy for a Photo [28]
* How to Photograph Dogs at Play [29]
* How to Shoot Wildlife Photography [30]
* How to Get Perfect Exposures Using Your Camera\'s Spot Meter [31]
!! Sources And Citations !!
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
Links:
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[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:SmileIhavecamera.png
[2] http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Being-Sleepy-Throughout-the-Day
[3] http://www.wikihow.com/Find-Meaning-in-Life
[4] http://www.wikihow.com/Walk-a-Dog
[5] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Chickenplainbackground.png
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Composition-in-Your-Photographs
[7] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Lineupgang.png
[8] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Camera-Filters-and-Special-Effects
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Light-in-Photography
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Jumping-dog-7820.jpg
[11] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Slow-Shutter-Speeds-for-Image-Effects
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Noise_at_different_ISO_speeds_712.jpg
[13] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:28_0031_645.jpg
[14] http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Your-Digital-SLR
[15] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-Imagination
[16] http://www.wikihow.com/Buy-Lenses-for-Your-Digital-SLR
[17] http://www.wikihow.com/Blur-the-Background-of-a-Digital-Image
[18] http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Your-Digital-SLR
[19] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Jumping-cat-2111.jpg
[20] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Om_nom_nom_nom_537.jpg
[21] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Cats-Whiskers-With-String
[22] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Playful
[23] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Sharing_73.jpg
[24] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Bounce-Flash-to-Improve-Your-Photography
[25] http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Digital-Pictures-of-Pets
[26] http://www.wikihow.com/Photograph-Cats
[27] http://www.wikihow.com/Take-Great-Photos-of-Your-Dog
[28] http://www.wikihow.com/Train-Your-Dog-to-Look-Happy-for-a-Photo
[29] http://www.wikihow.com/Photograph-Dogs-at-Play
[30] http://www.wikihow.com/Shoot-Wildlife-Photography
[31] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Perfect-Exposures-Using-Your-Camera%27s-Spot-Meter
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