Pet Photography Techniques And Mindsets: Digital Photography for Beginners, #1

By Mark Hastings

It goes without saying, the most important quality that a master pet photographer can have is not an expensive camera or a head full of knowledge about camera settings and editing software.

Taking perfect pictures of pets may even be more difficult than taking perfect pictures of kids. Neither pets nor kids are very interested in sitting still for long periods of times. However, very small babies will not be able to move out of the picture. Older kids might be bribed to hold the pose. This is all a bit more difficult with a cat, dog, parrot, or other type of pet.

They are either totally disinterested in your desire to get a perfect photo or misinterpret what you are trying to communicate. After all, unlike even the smallest children, pets have no idea what a camera is or does. That means that they are very unlikely to smile look at the camera, and say, “Cheese!”

The most important quality is patience. Having talked with several professional pet photographers, they all agreed that they could and would never force an animal to do anything that they did not want to do. They also all agreed that not every shot was perfect, and sometimes it took dozens of tries to get it right. Before they could get the perfect pose from a pet, they had to earn the animal's trust and make the experience fun for the people and the pets!

Remember: Practice And Patience Make Perfect Pet Pictures!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark Hastings
• Release date: Feb 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524226930

Book preview

INTRODUCTION TO PET PHOTOGRAPHY

BASICS OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

MegaPixel Ratings

Digital Camera Settings

Camera Exposure

THE BASICS OF GOOD PET PHOTOS

Dealing With the Lag Time

TROUBLESHOOTING DIGITAL CAMERA ISSUES

Problems With Lighting

Lens And LED Screen Problems

Low Batteries

The Computer Connection Doesn't Work

TIPS FOR GREAT PET PHOTOS

Try To Catch A Pet's Personality In A Photo

Freeze Action

Focus On A Pet's Eyes

Add People To The Picture

Try Getting On The Pet's Level

Wide Angle Lenses For Closeups

LIGHTING FOR DIGITAL PET PHOTOS

Home Lighting Accessories

CHOOSING CAMERA RESOLUTION

IMAGE QUALITY TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

GOOD AND CHEAP BEGINNER CAMERAS

Budget Digital Cameras Under $100

IMAGE EDITING SOFTWARE : THE BASICS

EDITING IMAGES ON THE CAMERA

SMART PHONE CAMERAS

PET PHOTGRAPHY TIPS FOR DOGS FROM PROS

TIPS FOR INCREDIBLE CAT PHOTOS

TIPS OR TAKING GREAT SHOTS OF OTHER ANIMALS

Horse Photo Tips

Bird Photography Tips

CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY: GO MASTER PET PHOTOGRAPHY NOW

INTRODUCTION TO PET PHOTOGRAPHY

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Taking perfect pictures of pets may even be more difficult than taking perfect pictures of kids. Neither pets nor kids are very interested in sitting still for long periods of times. However, very small babies will not be able to move out of the picture. Older kids might be bribed to hold the pose. This is all a bit more difficult with a cat, dog, parrot, or other type of pet.

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They are either totally disinterested in your desire to get a perfect photo or misinterpret what you are trying to communicate. After all, unlike even the smallest children, pets have no idea what a camera is or does. That means that they are very unlikely to smile look at the camera, and say, Cheese!

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When you pay attention to a pet, even one that is very well trained, he might think you want him to perform some action when all you really want him to do is stay in a pose. That's not the pet's fault, but it is just his nature.

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The very action that you use to try and get Fluffy or Fido to look at the camera might be very similar to an action that you have used in training to reward or command. Trying to get a pet to stay still and look at the camera is not an easy task. Your attempt to get attention may make your cat or dog that you want them to come to you. That's why good pet photographers learn that they often have to wait for the right moment, and they can't always force it.

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Another difficult thing about snapping pet photos is that most digital cameras make a very quiet click when the shutter button gets pressed. Most people can barely hear it, but it is loud and clear to most animals.

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Since the click goes off a fraction of a second, or even a second, before the camera actually opens and closes the shutter, this can cause a problem. Some animals have very quick reflexes, and they may interpret the click as something to react to. Some pets have even be trained with clicks. This issue can be a major problem, and it is addressed in this book.

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