Pet photography tipsPet Photography Tips

Affinity Images is a professional pet photography business located on the far north coast of NSW, Austraila. We have been taking photographys of pets and particularly dogs for years. We have a few basic pointers when it comes to taking photos of pets. Follow these basic pet photography tips and enjoy yourself. The more relaxed you are the more relaxed the pet will be.

<Click here> to see our Pet Photography page for pet portraits and pet pictures.

Pet Photography Tips #1 - The Camera

Although professional pet photographers use expensive high quality cameras it is not necessary to use one to get a great shot. Composition background and contrast make up much of a good photo. A digital camera of average quality will usually have an adequate zoom and around 5+ Mega pixels which is plenty to blow up your resulting photo to A4 equivalent size. Try and shoot when the light is adequate as it is strongly advisable never to use a flash with animals. The best time to take photos is in the early morning or late afternoon avoiding the middle of the day when the light conditions are harsh.

Pet Photography Tips #2 - Prepare Yourself

If you are taking photos of your own pet then you will have plenty of opportunities to capture that special moment. If you are taking photos of someone else’s pet then practice on you own pet and experiment with different techniques before you go out and take the subject.

Pet Photography Tips #3 - Patience

Patience is the only way apart from luck that you are going to get a good shot. Be patient with the subject from the time you meet them right through the shoot. Animals have amazing senses for how you are feeling. If you are nervous then they will react to this. If you are taking a photo of an animal you don’t know start by taking photos at a distance before you move in closer. Some animals may feel threatened if you shove a camera in front of them and just start shooting. Always plan to be with the pet for a long time.

Dog Photography TipsPet Photographys Tip #4 - Treats

In my opinion you should never use treats. As they distract the pet from being natural. If you have to resort to using treats get another person to give them and only give them a very few. Treats can make dogs beg, drool and some times get aggressive. None of these habits are natural (You hope not anyway).

 

Pet Photography Tips #5 – Take lots of photos

Take lots and lots of photos. The beauty of a digital camera is that the photos don’t cost anything to take. Take lots and cull them later. The way to do this efficiently is take lots of photos. When you get home download them onto your computer into a folder market “originals”. Never alter these photos. From these photos pick out any half decent photos of the pet and copy the images into another folder called “working”. Don’t copy images that are blurred cut off or have eyes shut etc. From this working folder go thru and cull any double ups. Once you have done this leave this and come back to it the next day. On the next day you can go thru and cull a few more. What you have left will be a few great shots.

<Click here> to see our Pet Photography page

<Click here> to see our Dog Photography page

For more pet photography tips email us for information.