Pet Photography Shack Guide
Pet Photography With Tips And Ideas
By Cedric B Georges
Pet photography is one of more challenging fields in
the world of photography. If you can take a series of
portrait, action and candid images of your pet in your
home, then you are on the way to creating good images.
This gives you practice to improve your technique, especially
if you are seeking to become a pet photographer.
One of the biggest challenges with pet photography,
is the need to control your pet. If you are looking
to take quality images of your pet, you may need one
or two assistants, to help control your pet, especially
if you are outdoors and your pet may be a hyperactive
dog running after other dogs, causing lots of mayhem.
Being patient and controlling of your pet, will help
you take better images of your pet.
Creating Images Of Your Pet
Photographing your pet can be an incredibly rewarding
experience. Done well, it will allow you to immortalize
Fluffy or Spot - that significant member of your family
- the pet that shared your food, chewed your shoes,
and brought you the newspaper.
In fact, the act of seriously photographing your pet
will bring you both closer because the process opens
you to noticing the small, wonderful things that you
might have missed before - the way he wags his tail,
etc. This is a grand adventure.
Setting Up Your Goals
As with anything, it’s best to proceed with a goal
in mind so you know where to start. What are you trying
to accomplish? Are you trying to capture your pet’s
playful side? Are you trying to setup a funny photo
using a prop such as a birthday hat?
Is this an interactive portrait between your pet and
your child? Sit down and put on paper this goal, because
it will help you in preparing properly. Nothing is worse
than spending an hour going to your favorite scene with
equipment in hand and realizing your forgot a favorite
toy - do yourself a favor, do not skip this step.
An Indoor Or An Outdoor Setting
Now that you have decided on your goal, it’s now time
to decide the proper setting. Indoors vs. outdoors.
Near the fireplace with an open fire in the background,
or in a studio. At the beach or in the woods. As you
think about the proper setting, think about how your
pet will respond to that setting.
If you decide the public park is the perfect place,
you must think about your pet’s resistance to distractions.
Is he/she able to resist running after another animal
or person? The more you know your pet and look through
his/her eyes, the better off you will be.
Preparing For The Photography Shoot
Now you are at the critical preparation stage. You’ve
set your goal, you’ve decided on the appropriate setting
- let’s try to anticipate all that can (and will) go
wrong. I use the word ‘wrong’ loosely - try not be too
rigid and to have fun - we will talk more about that
in a minute. Write out on paper every possible thing
you can think of.
Here are some suggestions:
- Exercise your pet - just enough so they are still
alert, but not hyper
- Lighting - outdoor is best, but flash will work too
- should be natural lighting
- Grooming - only if it doesn’t adversely affect your
pet’s mood - then do it days beforehand
- Props/Toys - favorite of the pet
- Food - favorite of the pet
- Be prepared for sudden movement - shutter speed
about 1/125th
Watch the scene clutter
- Have pet at least 6 feet away from background to reduce
shadows
- Bring an assistant to help manage your pet
- Zoom Lens
- Camera, Film, Tripod, Equipment, etc.
Are you getting the idea? The first time you make out
your list, the process will be a little tedious, but
the beauty is that once the list is made, all you need
to do is modify it slightly for the next sessions.
On Location
Whew, you’ve made to shooting location - congratulations.
Hopefully, you’ve brought everything you are going to
need, right? Right! Now, it’s time for setup. Be organized;
get everything laid out in a logical fashion.
The last thing you want to be doing is fiddling around
with equipment when you need to be shooting pictures
- an animal has a zero attention span and you have got
to be ready to snap that picture when the moment is
there.
Calming Down Your Pet
How is you animal’s demeanor? Is he/she super wound
up? If yes, then perhaps some light exercise would be
in order - nothing too heavy, but just enough to help
him/her calm down. How are you?
Are you stressed? Relax, and go with the flow - animals
are super sensitive to your mood. Give your pet some
last minute grooming - just touch-ups. If you are outdoors,
how is the wind?
Is it too strong? Is the sun too bright? Remember,
overcast is much better for exposure. Make sure that
your pet is far enough away from your background so
as to not cast any shadows.
Talk To Your Pet And Relax
Your mindset should be one of peace and serenity. I
can’t overstate that enough. Also, you need to climb
into the mind of your pet as best you can. What are
they thinking and feeling? Align your expectations properly.
If you have never done this before, don’t expect perfection
the first time out - that will just raise your anxiety
level and will stress out your pet.
One of the most important things to remember is to
get down on your pet’s level, physically, as much as
possible. A shot from above doesn’t portray intimacy.
In addition, when you are at your pet’s level, it’s
easier for you to empathize with it.
Be In Charge Of The Situation
If you’ve never crawled around on the ground before,
you might feel a bit foolish, but trust me, it makes
all the difference in the world. Make sure that you
and your handler work with each other - you have got
to be in charge, but also try to be flexible - you have
a lot of variables that you are managing.
Practice Taking Candid Images With Your Family And Pets
If you have taken portrait images of friends, family
members and even fashion models, then you may have an
idea the images you need to take. But you also need
to create an image that says something about the animal.
If it is a playful dog, then you might place a hat on
his head.
You can practice taking images at home, so your pet
is used to the idea of you using your camera, even your
flash. Try not to use strong flash, as some animals
may get scared and run away.
The Best Images
I find the easiest images are the ones around the home,
taking candid images as my pets are playing around the
house. Relaxing, sleeping, playing with my children
and running around the backyard and in the park
nearby.
These are often the best images. To avoid the pets
getting tired waiting for me to fiddle with my camera,
to get the best settings, I pre set my camera before
I call out her name and then I take the picture.
Portraits In My Home Studio
I have a little home studio where I take portraits
of family, friends and my pets. I always have family
members help me set up the equipment and bring in the
pet. I like to use a bland background, so the pet stands
out in the image.
I have framed many of my pet photography images and
placed them all around the house, along with many family
portraits.
Get more ideas about photographing kittens at www.Kitten-Pictures.com
<http://www.Kitten-Pictures.com>
About the Author:
Cedric B Georges has written a number of articles on
digital photography including 35mm
Cameras, Best
Digital Camera, First
5 Megapixel Camera, Digital
Cameras, Image
Editor Software, Cheap
Digital Cameras.
Keep a lookout as more articles from this popular author
on this website in the near future.
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