Here's how to take the perfect pet photo

Katie Court — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Pet lovers can take the perfect picture of their furry friends thanks to new advice from photo experts.

With Britain being a nation of animal lovers millions of us take hundreds of photographs of our beloved pets every year, according to experts from ParrotPrint.com. But most of the pictures we take are badly composed or lit and in many cases are blurred too.

But with some simple easy to mater techniques, the experts from ParrotPrint.com believe almost anyone can become an accomplished pet photographer. Whether it's through help to maintain your pet's attention, or tips to on composition, there are a variety of ways to ensure that photographers can deal with the unpredictable nature of animals.

A spokesperson from ParrotPrint.com said: 'Everyone who owns a pet knows they are an integral part of the family and deserve to be treated as well as humans when it comes to photography. 'We all know how distracted animals can get, so being well prepared for a photoshoot with them is key to get it done efficiently. 'It isn't necessary to have the highest quality equipment - this advice will show you how to get flawless photos efficiently, mostly just from your phone.''

How to get the perfect pet photo:

1. Have treats at hand

Maintaining a pet's attention can be tricky, especially if they are agitated or distracted. Having treats and toys with you can help to focus attention back onto taking the photo. This also acts as a good reward after they have been hard at work posing.

2. Avoid using flash

Using natural lighting allows photos to appear less posed and can help to capture pets in their everyday settings. It is best to not use flash on animals as it can cause red-eye in photos and scare them.

3. Use burst or continuous mode for action shots

With today's advanced technology, most mobile phones are equipped to take different types of photos. To capture your pet in their truest form, use burst or continuous mode to get action shots, and sift through these to find hidden gems.

4. Maintain focus on the animal's face and not the background

A busy background can make for a distracted image, which is not ideal when the goal is for the pet to be the centre of attention.

Blurring the background, for example by using a phone's portrait mode feature, can get distractions out of the way. Additionally, using a clean background or zooming into your pet's face is a way to maintain camera focus.

5. Use photoshop to edit photos and add more life to them

Photoshop is a way to add creativity and enhance images, as well as to include fun additions to experiment with design and layout.

6. Experiment with camera lenses

Some camera lenses allow for closer perspectives of animals, and others are better for wider frames. It is recommended to take photos of a pet from further away as they are less likely to be disturbed, so this is good to keep in mind.

7. Go to the pet's eye level

Taking photos from above won't capture the true beauty and details of the animal. Getting down to the pet's eye level will make for a more realistic photo, whilst allowing you to see the world from their perspective.

8. Try to get candid shots as well as posed

A photo of a pet sitting posed and well-behaved is not an accurate representation of how they usually act.

Instead, capturing them during everyday settings, for example when running, eating, and playing, will make for more realistic photos, which will allow your pet's personality to shine through.

5 Expert Tips For Perfect Pet Portraits

Jessica Curtis — Tue, 16 Jan 2024 20:00:00 +0000

As anyone with pets knows, capturing the perfect photographs of our furry friends is easier said than done. To help out, photo experts at CEWE have worked with professional photographers and animal specialists on five top photography tips to help capture those perfect pet portraits.

1. Focus on the eyes

In the best portraits, the eyes tell a story. Professional photographer, Kevin Mercier, explains;

"As the saying goes 'Eyes are the windows to the soul', and an animal's eyes can be very expressive. So, make sure you focus on your pet's eyes and keep them sharp. There are certain cameras that offer eye autofocus for photographing animals. I activate this feature when I'm photographing animals which allows my camera to identify the animal's eyes – and nails focus consistently."

2. Treats are key

Treats are a sure-fire way to ensure dogs and cats are paying attention during your photoshoot, but this simple trick also works for more unconventional pets, such as chickens. Owner of Cluckin, Neil Armitage, says;

"You will need endless patience and a pocket full of treats. With poultry, in particular, it can help to cover the treats with a layer of soil so they are otherwise occupied scratching about while you are busy with the camera."

3. Check your camera settings

One of the main difficulties when shooting images of animals is movement – it can be hard to encourage an animal to stay still for long enough to get a clear shot. To counteract this, you'll need to amend your camera settings. Mario Pérez, from Blog del Fotografo, suggests;

"In terms of exposure configuration, I recommend shooting in Aperture priority mode (A or Av if you´re using a manual mode camera) and selecting the widest possible aperture (lowest f/ value you can get). This will result in a very shallow depth of field, with the pet extremely in focus, and the background beautifully blurred out. If you´re shooting a rather active animal, you may want to switch to Shutter priority mode (S or Tv in your camera dial), and select a high shutter speed, to make sure you get sharp pictures."

4. Prepare to get dirty

The best portraits are taken straight on. For many pets, this means getting down to their level – and accepting you may need to get a little dirty! Sarah-Jane White, Animal Behaviourist and Professional Photographer at Ruffle Snuffle®, has the following advice for taking portraits of dogs;

"Don't be surprised if your phone or camera gets booped, and remember to keep a handkerchief in your pocket so you can wipe the lens clean. For the best results, take a low angle shot that captures your dog in its natural habitat. Depending on what breed of dog you have, you may need to crouch or lie on the ground to get an eye-to-eye shot. I have spent a lot of time laying in the snow and mud to get shots – but it's worth it."

5. Use burst mode

No matter how skilled you are, animal pictures are rarely perfect first time. Pets are unpredictable, so burst mode is ideal for catching expressions, emotions, and split seconds in time. Marjorie Dawson, of DashKitten, recommends;

"Switch to continuous shooting mode then let fly with the shutter button and fill your memory card with lively and engaging images. Set your camera to capture high-quality images but avoid the RAW setting if you can, as your camera might not process the images fast enough to keep up with a speeding puppy or kitten."

Your Pets Daily - Pet photography

Here's how to take the perfect pet photo

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5 Expert Tips For Perfect Pet Portraits

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