we had an article in the May 2011 issue of Citizen Pet entitled, “Take Better Pet Pictures.” Here is the complete article:
Evocative Photography’s Tips for Better Pet Photography
Recently, we were at an off-leash park photographing dogs doing agility, when a gentleman came up and started chatting. He told us a story about how his dog did the funniest thing just before an agility competition. We asked him if he ever got a picture of that precious moment. He frowned and told us, “I’m not a photographer,” and that his dog had since passed on.
We then asked him if he currently had a dog. He joyously said yes, so we told him, “Don’t make that mistake again.” At first he was shocked that we had said something so bold, but then he thought about it and smiled.
Time flies ? especially the good moments in your life. We can’t believe that it has been almost a year since our dog, Jake, chose us. It feels like we just brought him home and at the same time, like he has been with us forever. We can’t imagine a life without him. We put a lot of effort into thoroughly enjoying our time with him because we know that it will be much shorter than we would like to admit.
We tell all our clients and friends: take lots of pictures and capture lots of video of your best friends, all the time, during all stages of their lives. You will never regret the images you took, but you will regret the ones you didn’t.
So how do you get the best pictures of your pet? A simple way is to remember is to use our business name and tag line:
Evocative Photography ~ Creating timeless images, precious memories & warm feelings
Evaluate, Program, Camera, Time, Imagine, Practice, Make it fun, Angle, Where, Focus
Evaluate Each and every time you take a photograph ask yourself what worked and what didn’t? What do you like about the picture? What would you do differently the next time?
Program Select “Program Mode” on most models of today’s digital SLR cameras. This allows you to shift settings such as the shutter speed or aperture when needed but also get the shot.
Camera Know your camera. Read your manual and learn what it can and can’t do. When you are no longer surprised by your camera you are on your way to getting better results from it.
Time What time of day is your pet at their best to capture play or rest?
Imagine Imagine the kind of picture you want to capture. Then imagine what steps you need to take to capture that moment.
Practice Practice. Practice. Practice. Then practice some more.
Make it fun If you are happy it is likely your pet is happy and it will show in your pictures.
Angle Get down to your pet’s eye level.
Where Photograph your pet where they feel most comfortable. They will thank you for it.
Focus Make sure your pet’s eyes are in focus. Eyes are the heart of every photograph.
Remember, a truly powerful image will stay with you for the rest of your life.
by edp