12 Tips for Gorgeous Pet Photography
-
Loading... - Chalita Jiang
- 17 Feb 2023
- 61 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
We all love to photograph our cute, furry, fuzzy, adorable animals, but while pet photography is oodles of fun, it’s not always easy to capture amazing shots.
After all, pets, unlike humans, don’t understand the purpose of photography. They won’t just pose for the camera – and even when they do sit still, you still need to carefully choose a composition, adjust your settings, and more. (By the time you’ve managed to get everything looking good, your pet will likely have moved out of position!)
So if you’re ready to start capturing some amazing shots of your furry friends, then let’s dive right in, starting with:
1. Use natural light
Some pet photographers rely chiefly on artificial lighting, such as on-camera flashes, speedlights, or strobes, but I’d really recommend using natural lighting instead.
For one, unless you can manage flash with real expertise, your images will likely turn out with a very deer-in-the-headlights look. (You also risk causing the red-eye effect.)
Second, the types of complex lighting setups that look great in portrait photography are tough to pull off with animals, simply because you can’t get a dog or a cat to pose in the right place at the right time.
Third, flash bursts can scare animals.
That’s why I encourage you to work with natural light – either by shooting outside or in a well-lit room. Soft, diffused light is generally best, so if you decide to head outside, try to do it on a cloudy day (or in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun casts a golden glow over the landscape).
If the sun is visible, make sure you pay attention to its angle relative to your pet. Frontlight and sidelight are great for bringing out details, but backlight is perfect for dramatic silhouettes! Read More…
