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1. Start with Your Pet’s Personality
Before you start photographing your pet ask yourself ‘what sets it
apart from other animals?’ Think about what type of personality it has
and then attempt to capture some of that in your shots. For example if
everyone knows your pet as a sleepy, lazy or placid little thing set up
your photo shoot around it’s bed or where it goes after a meal to lie in
the sun and you’ll have every chance of capturing a shot that sums your
pet right up. Alternatively if your pet is hyperactive, inquisitive and
always on the move it might be better to do your shoot at a local park
where it’s racing around, jumping for balls or playing with other
animals.
2. Think about Context
In choosing the location to photograph your pet you might want to
consider a variety of other factors also. For starters choose a place
where your pet will be comfortable and at ease. Also consider the
familiarity of the location and the emotions that it will evoke in you
as the pets owner. For example you might have a place that you and your
pet have had some special moments together that will mean a lot in the
future as you look back over your shots. Lastly consider the background
of your shots. Ultimately you don’t want your backgrounds to be
distracting from your photo – sometimes the best locations are the
plainest ones – a large patch of green grass, a well lit room with white
walls and plain carpet etc can be ideal. Of course this can also be
tool plain and sterile – my motto is that if the different elements in
the background of the shot don’t add to it avoid them.
2. Think about Context
In choosing the location to photograph your pet you might want to
consider a variety of other factors also. For starters choose a place
where your pet will be comfortable and at ease. Also consider the
familiarity of the location and the emotions that it will evoke in you
as the pets owner. For example you might have a place that you and your
pet have had some special moments together that will mean a lot in the
future as you look back over your shots. Lastly consider the background
of your shots. Ultimately you don’t want your backgrounds to be
distracting from your photo – sometimes the best locations are the
plainest ones – a large patch of green grass, a well lit room with white
walls and plain carpet etc can be ideal. Of course this can also be
tool plain and sterile – my motto is that if the different elements in
the background of the shot don’t add to it avoid them.
4. Get On Their Level
Get down on your pets level where you can look upon them eye to eye. Images taken by a
photographer
standing up and looking down on their level not only leave you too far
away from your subject but they also mean the shots end up having a very
‘human perspective’. Getting down on your pets 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 are more personal and have a
real element of intimacy.
5. 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 focussing right in on single features like eyes, noses,
ears, whiskers etc) but also make sure you take three quarter body shots
as well as full body shots. In this way you end up with a series of
shots that give viewers of your photos a full perspective on who your
pet is.
6. Lighting
Light makes any photograph what it is and when it comes to pets it’s
especially important. In general I wouldn’t recommend using a flash as
they tend to distract pets and in some cases will even frighten them.
The other issue with flashes is that they can create spooky red-eye
problems with some animals (in the same way they do with humans).
Natural light is a much better option than using a flash and so where
possible outside photo shoots tend to work best (or at least in a well
lit window inside). The only exception I would give for using a flash is
when your pet has very dark (or black) fur as it tends to absorb light
and a flash can add detail. With dark fury pets you might want to
slightly over expose your images for this same reason. Alternatively
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.
7. Include People
One of the best things you can do to add context to a shot is to
include the special people in the life of your pet in the image. Shots
with the owner or other family members interacting with your pet can
make the images incredibly special for years to come. You might like to
try posed shots but sometimes it’s the candid shots of owner and pet at
play (or snoozing together in front of a fire) that really capture the
character of the pet and evoke emotion.
8. Freeze the Action
Many pets present a challenge to photographers because they are
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 to get the mix between shutter and aperture right –
alternatively you can work in shutter priority mode where you set the
shutter speed and the camera automatically does the rest by picking a
good aperture to work with your 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. 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. If they are 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.
9. Be Playful
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 it.
10. Catch them Unawares
Posed shots can be fun and effective but one thing I love to do
(whether it be with animals or people) is to photograph them candidly
paparazzi style. I have very fond memories of stalking a friend’s dog as
he played in a back yard one day. I took shots while he dug up flowers,
as he buried a bone, as he fell chased a bee around and ask he sat
contentedly with his head sticking out of his dog house. The whole time I
photographed him he was barely aware of my presence so the shots were
very natural without me distracting the dog from his ‘business’.
Update – 11. Try a Wide Angle Lens
One of the techniques I’ve experimented with lately is using a wider
angle lens. This allows you to get in close (point 3) but also fit 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.
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