- Tips & Techniques For Taking Great Pet Photos-
It looks SO easy. Just click on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media and you see them. Wonderful pet photos that just melt your heart. Beautiful puppies and kittens, and elegant or funny dogs and cats. I then look at the photos on my phone of my favorite pets. A couple okay photos, but few worthy of sharing. So, how do you get THOSE photos? Well, it’ s not luck. It’ s technique and patience.
Cats don’ t pose – at least, most cats won’ t be so undignified. My sister’ s cat, Lucky, was a notable exception. He loved the camera, and the camera loved him. For most of us, your cat will see the phone and immediately turn so their back is facing you or they start grooming. So, the first tip is patience. Whether a dog or cat, we need to take the time for them to move in the direction we want or really look at us. And that takes time. Plan ten or more minutes to take some pictures.
As we are taking photos, we also should remember the cat or dog’ s point of view. Smaller animals have a different way of looking at the world, and the photos are better when we share that view. This can mean lying on the floor for a bit to get the“ cat’ s eye view.” For dog owners, your best friend may look at the world from a few inches up to a few feet. Whatever it is, you get better pictures when you also put your camera in that space. We cat lovers have a bit of an advantage, as cats do love to climb. A picture on top of a chair might almost be your height, and my cats love to hang out there.
My sister has a saying when it comes to taking a picture.“ Take a shot of the subject, not the county.” Make your photos medium to close ups. Pets, especially cats, don’ t always make that easy. But use the zoom to get closer if you can’ t do that physically.
Like photos of people, our pet photos are better when they are really looking at the camera. Eyes are so expressive! Again, that patience pays off, because getting a cat to look at you is not easy. But it can be done, and often when they( and you) least expect it.
And the new technology will help you“ up your odds” of a better picture of your favorite fabulous feline or precious pup. In“ the old days,” before all of us had a good digital camera sitting in our pockets, professional photographers would use burst shooting, where they would take many pictures very quickly. But now, we all have that ability. Simply hold the shoot button on your phone and it will continue to take pictures. Sometimes, just holding the camera / phone still will attract them.
So, here’ s to great holiday pictures of all our favorite furry friends!
- by Linda Roller, Bookseller, writer, and owner of Liberty Book Shop in beautiful downtown Avis, PA.
LIBERTY BOOK SHOP Linda Roller
Hours: Thursday & Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-3, or by appt.
“ Where yesterday’ s books are today’ s treasures.”
LibertyBookShop @ comcast. net www. thelibertybookshop. com
570-753-5201
Pawsitively Pets-- November 5