- Pet Photography Tips and Tricks
-
Pets are active in nature and it can be a struggle to keep them still. This is a problem that troubles many pet owners, and why our collective team had their first Pet Photography workshop at Kingsize studios, in Auckland. We've collated some helpful tips from our favourite pet photographers Catherine Holmes @catherineholmesphotography and Craig Bullock @furtographynz.
Our models for our Pet Photography workshop loved their Ziwi Treats.
Take some time to get to learn the dog you’re photographing, understand the basics of animal behaviour and body language. Be extremely aware of how the dog is reacting to what you’re doing, Remember, animals can’t tell you when they have had enough, so make sure you keep a watchful eye, watch for queues and make sure you don’t push their boundaries.
Never risk the comfort of the animal just to get the shot.
Take the time to relax your pet and make them comfortable with the camera, move slowly and try not to startle them.
Remember patience is key with pets.
Choose a fast shutter speed to freeze the action and you’ll be able to catch that perfect shot.
They say eyes are the windows to the soul, so try to keep your focus on the animals most expressive part - their eyes! Or if your pet has something unique about them, try your best to capture that.
Get down low and shoot from your pets perspective - 90% of pet photography is lying on the floor.
Find out if dog is food driven, play driven, or affection driven and use that to your advantage. Ask the owner what the dogs’ “buzz” words are. (walkies, treats etc.) Always use positive reinforcement, dogs have short attention spans, so be considirate and award them for good behaviour. Use treats sparingly. If you bring them out at the start, you’re going to just get knocked over a lot.
Dogs respond better to sounds, cats are more stimulated visually. Don’t be scared to use your voice. The weirder the sounds the better. It’ll get the dog to look up at you and get their ears to perk up. Make a high pitched whimpering noise which gets weird looks from everyone but often gets the face you’re looking for! Dogs and cats get bored with the same toys and noises so have a variety to switch it up. - Cats don’t care about your dumb noises but they might respond more to toys. A simple long stick with a bit of string tied to it, is a great solution. It also makes it easier for the assistant to stay out of shot and dangle the string into frame.
Think about what you would like to be the focus of your image.
The rule of thirds is a good thing to consider, see example here. Focus is on left eye of Dog, and a slight crop to the image makes it much more appealing.
Make sure you consider your background, any bright colours or shapes can distract from your subject. Try using a faster lens, so you can use a shallow depth of field, this will seperate your subject nicely from the background. Try use a zoom lens, and zoom in on the dog, this will cut out any distractions, if that doesn’t work, try a different angle.
Make sure your focus is on the eyes. This creates an immediate connection with your subject.
Dogs can be very frustrating to work with, you don’t speak the same language! Be very patient and don’t expect to have a winning shot every time. You will more likely have 100 times more misses than hits with your photos, so keep practising and don’t give up.
"intheopenair" follows one surfer, five New Zealand made surfboards and two winter months around the south coast of the North Island. A film created by Sam Curtin and Sink or Surface.
Southern Studios recently embarked on a nationwide tourism campaign, capturing stills, motion and aerials throughout New Zealand with Canon equipment.
Underwater photographer and Tales by Light explorer Eric Cheng is spell-bound by the majesty of the sea. Read his story here.
Over two decades, the award-winning Canon Master Stephen Dupont has been a champion for the people of fragile and marginalised cultures through his hauntingly beautiful and intimate photographs of humanity.
Behind every powerful image, is a powerful story. In this new three-part documentary series, go behind the lens with Angela and Johnathan Scott from Big Cat Diary, underwater photographer and publisher of WetPixel Eric Cheng, and war photographer Stephen Dupont.
In Tales by Light season one, Krystle Wright captures a balance of action and nature as she takes on skylining above a canyon.
Art Wolfe reveals why the fierce eyes of his subjects are the most powerful element in connecting with his audience in Tales by Light season one.
Tales by Light season one storyteller Peter Eastway reveals the art of simplicity in photography as he shoots in the great white wilderness of Antarctica.
Tales by Light season one storyteller Darren Jew captures an ethereal image that tells how death and destruction breathed new life into a world along the ocean floor.
Uniting exploration, photography and the natural world, Tales by Light offers a rare glimpse into the eyes and minds of some of Australia and the world’s best photographic storytellers.