Pet Photography
Tips for photographing your furry little friends

Creative Control of you SLR Camera Course

Pets are so lovable that many households treat them as members of their own family. If you are one of those who adores your pet, here are five tips to improve your photography.

Tip #1

Look for a natural pose. Here I snuck up behind the scratching post and was able to capture my cat in a spontaneous movement. Be quick and make sure you have adequate lighting and a fast shutter speed.

Scoot down so you are on the same level as your pet. Notice the nice composition with foreground leading up to the portrait. The rule of thirds was applied here, so the dog was not centered. Always look in all four corners of your viewfinder before taking a shot.

Move in close or use a telephoto lens to show off the prominent features of your pet (here it is the eyes). Do not use flash so make sure you have sufficient natural lighting. Flash will cause a red eye at this close of a distance.

Dress up your pet in a costume or holiday theme. This will surely be a pleaser at holiday time and makes for a very cute greeting card.

Photographing pets in action can be a little tricky and may take several shots before you get it right. Use a fast shutter speed of 1/500 sec or more, and be prepared to take a shot mid-air by selecting AI Servo focus for moving subjects. You will need a digital SLR camera set on shutter priority.

I have always loved going to the zoo. Every time I travel I visit the local zoo, and bring my camera, of course. A long telephoto lens works wonders; here I had a 70-300mm lens. I photographed the gorilla, like I would any portrait; using a shallow depth of field and an off-center composition.

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