One of the great joys of having a pet is the laughter that they bring to us. Whether we are laughing at them or with them they never hold a grudge. It seems they are almost always trying to entertain us. What pet owner doesnât have a picture of their beloved friend in some crazy situation or pose, stuck on their refrigerator door? And what better way to save those precious moments than with a great photo?
I photograph pets professionally, intentionally trying to create humorous imagesâ¦but often it is the in-between moments that end up with those priceless expressions. Those un-expected anticsâ¦that bring an involuntary smile to me and have me showing everyone around the back of my camera saying âHey! Check this one outâ¦what a crack-up!â.
Right now I live with two catsâ¦one of them just canât resist any box. Put a box down and a moment later, out of nowhereâ¦Pitsy is in the box! It doesnât matter what size box eitherâ¦I have seen her in boxes that she can barely fit inâ¦that she canât even get all of her paws down inâ¦but heyâ¦if itâs a box then sheâs going to claim it!
Our other cat, Plucky, has his favorite place to beâ¦on the lap of any one using a computer (luckily I am writing this at work or it would be much slower going and by the end I would be covered in cat fur)! No computerâ¦he isnât interestedâ¦but sit down in front of a computer anywhere in the houseâ¦and you instantly have one very large feline purring contentedly between you and that keyboard. Every pet is an endless source of amusement, fun and laughter!
A few tips for good Pet Photography:
1.     Get down on their levelâ¦it makes your picture feel much more intimate and brings up the level of interest by using a perspective that we are not used to having.
2.     Avoid direct sunlight. Direct sunlight is harsh and may âblow outâ the details and leave the shadows too dark with no detail. Open shade is goodâ¦if indoors try shooting them next to a large window that has indirect light coming in.
3.     Make sure your petâs eyes are in focus. If their eyes are sharp in most cases
we can forgive a shallow depth of field the results in out of focus extremities.
4.     Get closeâ¦and pay attention to the rest of the frame. We too often tend to our petâs face in the center of the frame and have a lot of wasted space above him or her. Take a moment to look around the viewfinder and place your pet in an interesting compositionâ¦without distractions in the background.
5.     Patience! The number one ingredient for great pet photography is patience. A little patience, combined with perseverance is a great combination for success in getting those great shots of your best friend
Capturing those awesome shots of your pet, and sharing them with your friendsâ¦and yesâ¦putting them into that refrigerator galleryâ¦what could be better?