Arts and Photography

There's an old saying that you should never work with children or animals, they are so unpredictable, and very difficult to control. For this article, we'll only focus on one half of this age old saying, on animals. Now to photograph animals, specifically your pet, you need to be quick and alert, and you can capture your shot with any camera you like. But there are some useful techniques you can use to help you capture the shot you're after. This article will look at a few of these techniques to help you on your way to photographing animals.

Tip #1 Be Positive and Keep Things Light

Be a little playful, but not too much, you don't want your pet to be hyper, but you do want to keep it light and happy, especially with dogs. Include things which they are familiar with, perhaps their beds, or a favorite toy, anything to keep the atmosphere relaxed and calm.

Tip #2 Be Candid

Alternatively, you can catch them unaware, and end up with extremely natural shots. Try not to use your flash, as this will annoy them and cause them to turn away, not to mention the likelihood of red eye appearing in every shot. Use your zoom so as not to get into their personal space, or alert them to your presence.

If they are turned the other way, focus on them, call their name and be ready to shoot as soon as they face you. Some great shots are captured this way.

Tip #3 Use a Wide Angle Lens

This can produce some wonderful shots with interesting distortions and perspective, not to mention getting a whole lot more pet into the shot.

Tip #4 Use Your Shutter Speed to Your Advantage

If your camera allows, enable a very fast shutter speed, and catch your pet in mid flight. Often pets like to run around, and by capturing the action with a fast shutter speed, you'll end up with some remarkable results.

Tip #5 Framing and Composition

Think about different ways to compose your image, rather than the general perspective of standing up and shooting down towards your pet. Get down at their level or lower if possible, and try finding new ways to photograph. I saw an extreme example of this recently of a photo of a stampede in Africa. The photographer had bravely placed his camera on the ground pointing up towards an oncoming stampede and managed to take some remarkable shots from low down that you would never have seen before. Perhaps you could do the same for your dog or cat, and be lucky enough that they are in the right place at the right time.

Photographing animals is a challenge, but approached in the right way can be a lot of fun.

Like What you Read? Try our Free Photography Secrets
Take amazing photos with these little known tips and techniques.

View the original article here