We found these in the most recent issue of Doggie Aficionado, and since we’re constantly campaigning for our pet parent friends and clients to take more pictures of your pet, we thought we should pass them along.
These tips are definitely directed at taking photos for the family album, which is great, but we thought we should add some suggestions for taking a perfect picture for a custom portrait of your dog (or cat).
(1) Have one of your dog’s favorite toys on hand. – Not only can toys keep him or her occupied between shots, you can also capture some fun shots of your pet at play.
* For a great portrait you can use your dog’s favorite toy to get their attention, and if you can make it squeak you may even get the ever-popular head tilt. Although it our experience, treats typically work better for this. And we’re not talking about some old dry milkbones, if you want a big smile try some sliced cheese or sausages!
(2) Use the right lighting to reduce animal red eye, which is more likely green or yellow. – Red eye is worse when you’re using your camera’s built-in flash, so try to use natural lighting whenever possible. When natural light is not an option, use the brightest, indirect light available indoors.
* We also tell our clients that lighting is key and that natural lighting is best. Good lighting results in great contrast and the best chance for your photo to be well focused. The best way to take your pet’s picture with sufficient natural lighting is outside but not in direct sunlight, so a cloudy day or shortly after sundown are ideal.
(3) Be prepared to use a relatively fast shutter speed. – You know your pet loves to move, so unless you want tocapture him or her as nothing more than a blur, you’ll need a fa st shutter speed to freeze the animal’s motion.
* Most people don’t really deal with shutter speed at all these days especially with digital cameras. Our most important requirement where camera settings are concerned, is always use the highest quality / largest file size setting so we can work with a really big image.
(4) Don’t photograph your pet from human eye level. – Avoid this extreme angle by lowering your tripod or sitting on the floor to shoot from your pet’s eye level. This is the best way to capture their true personality.
* We totally agree! When was the last time you saw a portrait of a person looking up?
(5) Try taking a picture of a family memeber holding your pet. – Try to capture the loving interaction between you and your dog or cat, it makes a really touching shot. Plus it allows you to help hold them still!
* Yes this can make for a memorable moment in your scrapbook, but for a portrait it’s best to let your pet pose alone. If you really need human intervention to keep them calm, have them sit while an assistant keeps a hand on their back. As long as nobody is in front of them, obstructing the photo then we can probably remove them from the background.
We provide lots more helpful suggestions for snapping and/or selecting a great shot of your pet for a portrait on our Photo Tips page, and again remind you that you can never have too many pictures of your pet!
