Pet photography is all about capturing your favorite pet’s expression, funny and sweet moments, and the habits of the pets. It is the most natural photography niche. But a photographer must-have skill and patience in this area of photography.
While shooting portraits of pets, a photographer also must know how to include family, child, and sports altogether. But shooting pets is tougher than humans as you can’t communicate with them. So, you must keep patience and wait for the perfect moments. That’s why you need to learn some tips before shooting. Here, we are going to enlighten you with the most effective tricks for shooting pets. Now read this photography guide with patience as you need patience a lot more for taking pet photos.
Camera Equipment for Pet Photography
For a specific kind of Photography, you must need a special camera. So, you have to make a tricky decision while choosing a perfect camera for pet photography. Camera manufacturer companies are bringing the latest and powerful cameras every month. From DSLR to Mirror Less, any latest camera can be used in pet photography. You can choose the best one from our latest blog ‘DSLR vs Mirrorless‘ camera comparison. This guide will help you choose the best camera. You can also get a better understanding of the prices and features of cameras from our another great blog ‘the best camera for photography.‘
Now let’s check which lenses will be better for your pet photography.
We know that lenses keep a big role in your photography. Using a 50mm lens will give you a wider aperture for the best shots. With a wider aperture, the less part of your object will be in focus. Thus, you can get better portraits.
It is also necessary that you should make the background a little blurry when shooting pets. To add enough interest to your photo, try to make a shallow depth of field. So, using a better lens is necessary in this case. Just use a lens that gives a better shallow depth of field.
If you want to create a broader perspective of the scene then you need to use a wide-angle lens.
If possible, also try a telephoto lens. Because a telephoto lens will allow you to shoot from a distance. Telephoto lenses also help you to make less distortion than the wide-angles. Besides, for getting sharp images, you can consider a macro lens too. A macro lens helps capture more details in the photo.
The Best Exposure Settings for Pet Photography
For capturing photos of your beloved animals, you should make the right exposure settings in your camera. And to be noted, exposure is the amount of light that hits the camera’s sensor. With proper exposure, you will get good light and make better portraits of pets.
Right exposure settings also depend on the proper lighting conditions. For every condition, you need to re-adjust your exposure. Such as, if you want to make a shallow depth of field then you need to open your aperture. In the golden hour of the day, any exposure works well. So try to shoot at around sunset and sunrise.
Make a Schedule for Shooting
You will be able to do the job if you have a proper schedule for the job. Experts say that sometimes a proper schedule can bring you success.
Suppose if you are capturing photos of a dog find out the relaxed moments for the dog. Dogs move less when they feel sleepy or just woken up. But when you want to take a more dynamic photo, shoot them when they are most energetic. Animals such as dogs are very sensitive to sound. So, use sound for the benefits of your photography. Make a list of what style you want to shoot and observe the dog for making a schedule.
Plan the Shots Carefully
You can shoot good candid photos. But try to capture storytelling shots and engaging photos. This is when you need to create context. Good context can tell a good story and engage more attention. That’s why you should plan your key shots before getting down in the field.
Plan for using props for the pets. In this case, you can use pet toys, food, or other elements that can bring out expressions. Plan for capturing animal’s desires and excitement.
Also, plan for doing different activities or playing games to have a variety of perspectives.
Shoot Your Pets in Natural Light
Sometimes, it gets complicated for us to manage high-powered flashes or lighting setups. But don’t worry because experts suggest that natural light can get better photos than artificial light. In that case, try to use continuous light. Continuous light means that they don’t get frightened or cause red-eye in the photo.
Go for bright and diffused light instead of ambient or studio lights. Diffused light allows you to get more flattering shots.
Make sure your pet’s eyes don’t look flat or dead. To avoid this, try to bring ample catchlight in the eyes. (Catchlight means white reflective parts in the eyes).
Make Sure Your Pet is Comfortable
In pet photography, you should focus on capturing their character and personality. But if your pet is not comfortable then the photo session may go wrong. Allow your pet to relax and loosen up. It will make them feel comfortable with the camera. Make sure they do not overeat and avoid loudness while shooting.
Shoot from Their Eye Level
Pets such as dog and cat stay at our knee level. And we always see them from the above. It is important to shoot them from their level. So get yourself down to their level and shoot. Sometimes you may have to crouch with your camera depending on their size. Lie on your belly to level-up your camera and the pet. You can get stunning shots by shooting pets from their eye level.
Taunt for Their Attention
You can easily capture great photos by having their attention. To have your pet’s attention call them by names. This is a cool trick when you want to capture their still shots. Let them play and taunt for their attention. When they look at you click the shot. This way you can move their attention in any direction.
Capture Your Pet’s Character
The photo containing the characters and behavior of a pet is more attractive. You should capture your pet in action mode if it is a playful type. Take a shot of your cat yawning when it is lying in his soft bed. Thus you can capture precious shots of your pet.
Have Patience When Shooting
Another thing you should keep in mind is that pet photography needs a lot more patience than others. Unless you have a trained pet, they can’t follow your instructions. So you need to be patient and wait for the right angle.
Conclusion
After getting some great shots of your pets, pay them. Don’t be confused! Offer them something they love. It can be their favorite food or toy! Being friendly will encourage them and be cheerful. Finally, it can be concluded that you have to work hard with your pet for better photography.
Yes, it is a growing market and advancing day by day. People living on the modern earth consider their pet as a member of their family. People consider their pets as members of their families. As they want to commemorate their pet with portraits, the demand for pet photography is increasing.
