One of the hardest things to photograph other than children is pets. Its very frustrating at times because dogs cant speak english. They dont understand you when you shout commands at them such as "Turn your head to the left" "Make a silly face" etc. However, if you do get a good shot its so rewarding to be able to capture some of your pets personality on film that you will have for a lifetime.
Here is a few tricks I have learned along the way :)
1.
Be Patient
Get your pet comfy in a nice setting, obviously photographing them laying in a pile of junk on the ground isnt going to make a nice photo :) I usually will lure my dogs into a nice area by giving them a bone or something and once they are there, i just sit and wait. The key here is to be patient with them, let them do their own thing and then snap away. Patience pays off because you will eventually get the money shot, i promise :)
2.
Quantity Matters
Another essential piece of advice is to snap as many shots of your pet as you can. I like to put my camera on continuous shoot so when I snap away, my camera is taking picture after picture really fast. The more photographs you take the better chance you will have of getting some great shots. A great pet photograph is catching your pets personality, and the best way to do that is let them play and do what they do and just snap a ton of pictures while they are doing it.
3.
Get Down On Their Level
Get ready to lay down, bend over awkwardly and be prepared to get a lil' dirty...its worth it. Some of the coolest pet shots are taken from the animals eye level.
4.
Try Some New Angles
I have gotten a few awesome pet shots by photographing the animal from the ground looking up at them. This perspective makes your animal look majestic :) I like taking this angle with cats because of course cats think they are hot stuff and queens/kings of the world, so why not photograph them in that perspective? It makes for some unique footage.
5.
Get a zoom lens
This is helpful when photographing zoo animals. Obviously you cant get all close up to them, so having the zoom lens makes your photographs look like you were on a safari and came close up with a lion or tiger. It also comes in handy when the animal is caged. I discovered last fall that if i zoom in really close, it blurs the cage enough to the point where you cant even see it at all. A zoom lens also comes in handy with bird photography.
6.
Dont fret if you cant get the whole pet in the photo...
I got a really cool shot of my dog last year...He would NOT pose for me, and I couldnt get him to sit still so I just started snapping away. I found I got a cool shot of half of his mouth while he was barking. It was a unique photo, and I really love it. So even getting your pets paws, their tails, or even their wet noses could make for a cool picture!
7.
Dont even try and dress up your pets.
Ive tried, and trust me its not pretty. Unless your dog is sleeping or heavily sedated, they will act very awkward when dressed up. My dog does this weird freeze mode whenever I put a sweater on him. Every picture i took of him showed a dog looking scared half out of his mind as if he was thinking "Is this okay mommy? Am I done yet? " Not a good look, I love the animals in their natural, naked selves. Use some props instead, this can still give a really cool effect without making your animal feel slightly embarassed :)
8.
Get in the picture with your pet
If able to, grab a tripod, and a shutter release and get in there with your pal. Sometimes, they are even more comfortable playing with their master and also, its a priceless shot of you and your favorite furry friend together that you can treasure forever!
9.
Cool Ideas for Cats
Get a shot of your cat stretching, yawning, licking its paws, or playing with the birds in the window. These make for some awesome and unique photographs
10.
Cool Ideas For Dogs
I love to get to eye level with my dogs when they are lounging...this makes them look all adorable and innocent like. Also, I found a cool trick was to whistle really loud, it usually makes the dog do that adorable head tilt thing you always die over in pet photography.
Hope these tips help, id love to see some of your photographs featuring your pets or some cool animals!
