1) Have a friend or family member, someone that your pet is comfortable with, help you take the photo. It may help to have someone hold your pet in place or to hold a treat or favorite toy over your head while you take the photo.
2) Get as close as possible to your pet. The more detail you capture the better your picture will be.
3) Make sure that your camera is on the highest quality setting.
4) Only use the flash if absolutely necessary. Just like some people have "red eye" in photos, some pets' eyes will "glow".
5) Pay attention to the lighting around your pet. Avoid taking photos in low light so that you don't have to use the flash.
6) Use a favorite toy, treat, or friend to help your pet look in the direction you want.
7) Take photos from many different angles. Sometimes extreme angles can create more interesting photos. Try shooting from above, below, and all sides of your pet.
8) If your pet is a dog, take him or her out for some exercise before taking the photo. This could get rid of extra energy making him or her more likely to listen to you. Also, sometimes when a dog is panting the corners of his or her mouth turn up creating a "smile".
9) Be sure that your pet is in a comfortable environment. Your pet will be on edge and not show it's true personality if it is unhappy or unsure of its surroundings.
10) Finally, take lots and lots of photos! The more photos you have, the more you have to choose from, therefore allowing for the creation of a pet portrait that really captures the spark of your pet's personality.
Happy picture-taking!
6 comments:
This is a great article!
I find pets are often shot indoors with a flash, which causes that reflection back of light; the glowing eyes.
I get a lot of bad pet photos from potential pet portrait clients so often have to use a lot of artistic license.
Natural light and no flash work best, especially on dark animals.
Wonderful photo you included here!
Great tips! Every time I try and get a photo of my Boston Terriers they always come out terrible. They have soooo much energy. I will definitely try some of your suggestions! Thank you for sharing this :)
Great advice! I'd like to add to not hesitate in trying some action shots of your pet too. You never know what you might capture and it will be a keepsake forever!
awww great tips!
now I wish I had a pet to take a picture of
i always try to taking photo my pet and the result is blurry (pet moved so fast) and sometimes red eye...thanks for the tips :)
Great tips, Ruth. Thanks for passing those on.
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