Sunday, March 27, 2011

How to Photograph Your Lovely Pet

Photographing your pet could be an incredibly rewarding experience. Accomplished well, it will permit you to immortalize Fluffy or Spot - that considerable member of your family - the pet that shared you food, chewed your shoes, and brought you the newspaper. The fact is, the act of seriously photographing your pet will bring you both closer mainly because the procedure opens you to noticing the modest, excellent things that you may have missed before - the way he wags his tail, etc. This is really a grand adventure.



Goal
As with anything, its finest to proceed having an objective in mind so you know where to start. What are you trying to accomplish? Are you trying to capture your pets playful side? Are you attempting to setup a funny photo making use of a prop such as a birthday hat? Is this an interactive portrait between your pet and your child? Sit down and put on paper this goal, mainly because it will assist you to in preparing correctly. Nothing is worse than spending an hour going to your favorite scene with equipment in hand and realizing your forgot a favorite toy - do your self a favor, don't skip this step.













 2 dogs in the basket
Setting
Now that you might have decided on your objective, its now time to choose the proper setting. Indoors vs. outdoors. Near the fireplace with an open fire inside the background, or in a studio. At the beach or within the woods. As you feel about the correct setting, believe about how your pet will respond to that setting. In case you choose the public park will be the perfect location, you need to believe about your pets resistance to distractions. Is he/she able to resist running right after another animal or individual? The extra you know your pet and look via his/her eyes, the superior off you might be.

Preparation
Now you are at the critical preparation stage. You have set your objective, you have decided on the appropriate setting - lets attempt to anticipate all that will (and will) go wrong. I use the word wrong loosely - try not be too rigid and to have fun - we will talk a lot more about that in a minute. Write out on paper every achievable factor you may feel of. Here are some suggestions:

Exercise your pet - just sufficient so they are still alert, but not hyper
Lighting - outdoor is most effective, but flash will work too - ought to be natural lighting
Grooming - only if it doesnt adversely affect your pets mood - then do it days beforehand
Props/Toys - favorite of the pet
Food - favorite of the pet
Be ready for sudden movement - shutter speed about 1/125th and use iso 400 or 800 film (if indoors)
Watch the scene clutter
Have pet at least 6 feet away from background to lessen shadows
Bring an assistant to assist manage your pet
Zoom Lens
Camera, Film, Tripod, Equipment, etc.
Etc., etc. Are you obtaining the thought? The very first time you make out your list, the process is going to be a little tedious, but the beauty is that as soon as the list is made, all you must do is modify it slightly for the next sessions.

On Location

Whew, youve made to shooting location - congratulations. Hopefully, youve brought every thing you're going to want, right? Right! Now, its time for setup. Be organized; get everything laid out in a logical fashion. The last thing you would like to be performing is fiddling around with equipment once you need to be shooting pictures - an animal has a zero attention span and you've got to be ready to snap that picture when the moment is there. How is you animals demeanor? Is he/she super wound up? If yes, then perhaps some light exercise could be in order - absolutely nothing too heavy, but just enough to aid him/her calm down. How are you? Are you stressed? Relax, and go with the flow - animals are super sensitive to your mood. Give your pet some last minute grooming - just touch-ups. For anyone who is outdoors, how will be the wind? Is it too strong? Is the sun too bright? Keep in mind, overcast is much greater for exposure. Ensure that that your pet is far sufficient away from your background so as to not cast any shadows.

The Photographers Mindset

Your mindset really should be one of peace and serenity. I cant overstate that enough. Also, you have to climb into the mind of your pet as best you are able to. What are they thinking and feeling? Align your expectations correctly. When you have never carried out this just before, dont anticipate perfection the first time out - which will just raise your anxiety level and will anxiety out your pet.

Shooting
One of probably the most essential points to remember would be to get down on your pets level, physically, as much as feasible. A shot from above doesnt portray intimacy. In addition, once you are at your pets level, its easier for you to empathize with it. If you have in no way crawled around on the ground prior to, you may feel a bit foolish, but trust me, it makes all of the distinction inside the world. Make sure that you and your handler work with each other - you've got got to be in charge, but also attempt to be flexible - you might have a great deal of variables that you are managing.

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