Pet Photography: Animal Portraits Made Easy
An animal portrait isn’t as easy as it might sound. Pets tend to move around a lot, and predicting when your pets are ready for a picture to be taken can take a lot of practice (and more than a few treats). The real trick to it is to make sure that the photography environment encourages your pets’ good behavior. Have your pet clean and well brushed; messy pets make messy pictures.
Getting Started
Now that your pets look their best, it’s time to take some great photographs. In this article, we’re going to deal mostly with digital cameras; digital photography affords benefits for the pet photographer that just aren’t available in a traditional film camera. However, the techniques can be used regardless of the type of camera you have access to.
Taking great pet photos really comes down to a few tips that, if you use them often, will become habit.
* Shoot Faces at Eye Level – The most common mistake made in photographing pets is to remain standing while the picture is taken. Don’t be afraid to lay flat on your belly if that’s what it takes; you want to be on the same level as your pet, keep the camera at your pet’s eye level, and take your pictures as close as you can. A bird’s-eye-view is always more interesting than looking down at the furry back of your pet.
* Turn the Camera – Close-ups of pet faces usually look best if you turn the camera vertically, while the horizontal position is better used in group or full-body pictures.
* Don’t forget the Eyes – Eyes, on a human or an animal, tell a story. They capture expression, emotion, and paying attention to your pet’s eyes will reveal photographs of depth.
* Pay Attention to the Background – There’s nothing more frustrating than taking a perfect picture, only to print it up and see that there’s some foreign object in the background appearing to stick right out of your pet’s head. Another reason to pay attention to background is that, sometimes, interesting things are happening back there which you might want to include. One candid photograph I took was of a very cute puppy, wandering around the park. On looking around, I spotted a sign which read, “Leash Law Strictly Enforced” âÂ?¦ so it was amusing, to me, to photograph this leashless wandering puppy in front of the sign.
Avoiding Blurry Pet Shots
It’s easy to tell a person, “Hold it right there,” and expect them to do just that. Much harder is it to tell your cat or bird not to move while you’re taking their photo. To avoid blurry pet shots, try some of these tips:
* Steady Does It – If your camera is not steady, your photographs will be blurry. Learn to hold the camera firmly in your hands, without holding so tight that your hands shake. Whenever possible, brace your legs, back, or arms by leaning against a solid object like a wall or table. Then, push your elbows to your ribs and create a brace; this works much better at steadying your hand than just letting your elbows hang in the air.
* Sit! – Yup, we’ve got to at least try to keep our pet from moving. This is more important if you’re using a film camera than a digital one, because most point-and-click cameras won’t take photos fast enough to capture movement like wagging tails or turning heads. At least if you’re using a digital camera, you can keep shooting until you get the perfect picture. Pay attention to your pet, and start taking photos the instant your pet calms down.
* Double-Flash – Do not use the Red Eye Flash if your camera has one. This will make the camera flash twice, to reduce red eye, and by the second flash your pet will move. Guaranteed.
* Don’t Stress – Think of those model photographers you see in the movies. They shoot hundreds of photos (okay, slight exaggeration) just to get a few really good ones. You don’t need to review every single photo, just keep watching your pets and keep taking your pictures. If your camera has an LCD screen, use it to help you compose the photo; getting the right position and framing.
