Photography 101: Ten Ways to Improve your Pet Pictures
Pet owners love to take photos of their pets, but are often frustrated with the quality of their digital pictures. Here are some tips for taking the stress out of pet photography, taking better pet photos and having more fun with pet photography:
Get to know your digital camera. It is well worth taking the time to become comfortable using your camera, so when a great pet photography moment occurs, you don’t miss it because you’re struggling with unfamiliar features or settings.
Turn off the flash for pet photos. The camera’s flash produces harsh lighting that can create shadows or overexposure. Also, it can startle and frighten pets and make them less cooperative. Instead, try to position your pet in natural but indirect sunlight for the best lit photos.
Take time to compose the photo. Consider the background and use the zoom to eliminate or reduce it. If the background is interesting, include it in the focus.
Frame the pet within the shot. You can always just frame your pet in the middle, but if you want more interesting shots, try placing the pet on the outside edge for asymmetrical balance, or placing two pets on either side of the center for symmetrical balance.
Experiment with perspective. For more interesting photos, try changing your perspective by getting on the pet’s eye level, shooting up at the pet from below, or shooting down at the pet from above.
Pre-focus on pet. Before taking the first picture, try pre-focusing by pressing the shutter button down halfway and holding it there to use the auto focus. This will help you reduce camera movement and reduce blurriness.
Reduce blurriness in photos. Eliminate camera shake by holding the camera firmly and bracing your arms against your body or a stable object.
Take lots of photos. With digital photography, you can easily delete any unsatisfactory photos, so take lots of pictures, preview them, delete the ones you don’t like, and learn from your mistakes.
Avoid missing great photo opportunities. Keep your camera nearby, keep the battery charged, and either keep an extra memory card available, or download your images everyday to a CD, portable storage, etc.
Expect the unexpected and have fun taking photos of pets. Pets will be more cooperative if they are engaged in an activity they enjoy and you are calm and friendly with them while taking pictures. Be open to seeing what happens rather than over planning a photo session. Part of the fun of photographing pets is that the picture you end up with may be even better than the one you intended to take! Have fun with it!
After trying out these tips, you can expect some great pictures. Take a minute to check out our Picture Perfect Pet Photo Contest for a chance to win a $50 gift card.
Q & A - General Information
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At the first sign of physical or behavior changes in your pet you should always take him to your vet. Remember, your pet can’t speak for himself, so a vet can examine him and conduct tests. It is very important to eliminate the possibility that illness or disease is causing the physical or behavioral changes you’ve noticed. If your vet rules out any physical causes for the problems, you can consider the affect stress, inadequate exercise, poor diet and nutrition, loneliness and other issues may have on your pet.
We know the value of support groups in helping people deal with stressful problems. When you are trying to cope with stress-related behavior problems in your pet, it helps to talk to someone else who understands what you’ve been going through. Whether it’s a severe separation anxiety problem in your dog, a cat that climbs the walls when people come to visit or a bird that picks himself naked, not only do you want to find out how to reduce or eliminate these problems, you will feel comforted to know you are not the only one to face problematic pet issues. We hope you’ll find help and comfort right here. That’s why we created this discussion forum.
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