Photographing Pets - Tips

Online Photography School

Photographing Pets - Tips

Pets, like any member of a family, have unique personalities, individual responses to situations, and ways of expressing themselves. From a dog that loves to play hide and seek, peering from around a corner, to a cat that triumphantly perches in its favorite spot after removing any who dares to trespass on its prized territory, these small events are among the memories of pet owning families. Capturing the nuance of these situations simply requires a camera and the use of a few techniques which make photographing a pet unique.

Choosing the Shot

There are a number of ways to shoot great pictures of a pet with a camera. Portraits can be challenging with a pet, but the end results can be worth the extra effort. Using food, toys, or another person to direct a pet to look in a particular direction or to elicit a certain expression may be necessary. To obtain a more natural scene incorporating interaction with other animals or family members can help to create an image that better captures the true personality of the animal and a more typical atmosphere as attention is drawn away from the camera.
Common settings for pet pictures are where ever the animal is comfortable, such as lying on a favorite chair or gazing out a window. Another ideal setting is where ever they can be engaged in a favorite or natural activity. This helps to reduce some of the difficulty in getting an acceptable pose in front of a camera and better reflects the behavior and personality of a pet.

Setting Up the Shot

As is true when photographing other types of subjects, assuring that the background is free of clutter or distracting objects can help to focus attention in the shot on the pet. A plain background often creates the best backdrop. Wiping the eyes of a pet prior to shooting can also help to eliminate any distracting residue that will take away from the focus on their eyes.

Just as with small children anyone hoping to capture the best images of their pet will need to approach the situation with patience. Waiting for the right shot to happen is often a prime ingredient. Once the right setting or situation is selected and any needed props or helpers are assembled then the task of getting the best photo will frequently require multiple shots with the camera.

Taking the Shot

Getting photos that show the detail of a pet’s features requires getting the camera up close and on their level. The pet should fill the frame and the photographer’s viewpoint should be near the eye level of the pet. When getting close with the camera isn’t an option, zooming can help to achieve similar results and when all else fails cropping during the editing phase can also improve results. Although the eyes of the pet should be the focus of the shot in most instances, it is important to shoot with the camera at angle if flash is used to eliminate the eerie glow that can occur when flash bounces off of the eye.
Whenever possible it is best to avoid using the camera flash with a pet. The risk of getting the unwanted reflection in the eyes is significant and some pets will even learn to avoid the flash by closing their eyes at an inopportune moment. For this reason, shooting pets outdoors is often easier, particularly early or late in the day or in the shade when harsh sunlight doesn’t take away from their features. When photographing indoors and available light is insufficient, better photographs are easier with a camera that allows the in-camera flash to be disabled or removed. The photographer can then bounce the light off of a wall or ceiling to avoid any harsh glare.

Selecting the appropriate setting on the camera can help to assure optimal focusing. Many consumer model cameras have settings such as portrait and action which function nicely. Using the burst mode or sequence-shot setting when trying to capture images of a pet while playing can allow rapid shots that best capture the activity.
For millions of individuals and families who have pets as part of their lives, preserving memories of their time with us can be important. A good camera and knowledge of just a few photographic techniques can help to capture the kind of images that will be treasured for years to come.
Author
Christine Peppler.