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 Focus on the eyes.
Eyes play a vital role in creating compelling pictures of all living creatures. To make sure the eyes appear sharp in your photos, place your pet's eyes within the autofocus (AF) frame shooting. When taking vertical pictures, lock focus on the eyes, or select an off-center AF frame that places the subject's eyes within the frame as you shoot.
Select Aperture Priority AE mode and use f/4 as your standard aperture.
A soft background focuses the viewer's attention on your pet. To blur distracting background details, select a wide aperture (a small f/number) such as f/4. To soften the background even further, select an even wider aperture (smaller f/number) such as f/2.8 or f/2.0 and/or position the subject farther away from the background.
Use exposure compensation to optimize your pet's color.
The color of your pet's coat (actually, its brightness or reflectivity) determines the amount and direction of exposure compensation that may be needed to create a correctly exposed, natural-looking picture. For a frame-filling image of a black or very dark pet, set the exposure compensation to the minus side (e.g. -1 or -2). If your pet is pure white set the exposure compensation toward the plus side.
Use fast shutter speeds to freeze your pet's motion.
To get the fastest possible shutter speeds when shooting pictures of an active pet, select an ISO in the range of 400 to 800 when shooting outdoors and from ISO 800 to 1600 when taking pictures indoors. In Aperture Priority AE or Program mode, these ISO settings will result the fastest possible shutter speeds at any given light level.
To take action shots of a fast-moving pet, set your camera's auto-focus (AF) mode to AI Servo and shoot in burst (continuous shooting) mode.
Every day a multitude of enthusiasts and professional photographers upload compelling pictures of their pets and post them on their blogs and websites. Exquisite show dogs and cats as well as household pets are attracting lots of attention and drawing many viewers to these pet-oriented blogs. Everyone, it seems, loves looking at engaging pictures of animals! The suggestions that follow will help you learn how to take compelling pictures of your beloved pets, and possibly even turn them into Internet stars!
![LESSON[1] Focus on the eyes - Always keep this fundamental point in mind.](images/lesson1.gif){kind=small} When shooting pictures of your pet, you can use virtually the same camera settings and techniques used when taking pictures of kids. Please review the suggestions in Session 3 - Capturing Kids in Heartfelt Close-ups. I took pictures A, B, and C of a pet at home outdoors with its family. However, my goal was to take relaxed natural looking pet portraits, not to document the relationship. In order to achieve this result, I maintained a physical and visual sense of distance between the pet and its family. To keep things spontaneous and natural I didn't dare make any requests to change the scene, pose the subject, etc. If your goal is to take pictures like this, set your camera to Aperture Priority mode and One-shot AF mode if your pet as the main subject is not moving too fast. If your pet is really moving around, switch to AI Servo AF mode. You can also set your camera to "burst" (continuous shooting) mode and select an off-center AF frame if you want to focus on the main subject while composing an off-center or vertical picture. When taking pictures of your dog, please bear in mind that the working (camera-to-subject) distance will differ considerably whether you focus on his eyes or his nose. If you set your camera to Automatic Frame Selection in AF mode, your camera is likely to focus on the nearest object, your dog's nose, instead of on his eyes. To prevent this problem, select an AF option that only displays a single fixed AF frame, focus on his eyes by placing them in the frame, compose the picture while keeping the shutter release button partially depressed to lock in the focus point, and take the shot by pressing the shutter release in fully. This technique is known as "AF lock". Automatic Frame Selection AF mode works best for capturing moving animals from a distance because it provides focus tracking that enables you to capture sharp images of, for example, a dog running around a field. Picture A shows a perky Papillon sitting on a chair outdoors. It's usually difficult to take compelling pictures of your dog from a long way off using a telephoto lens. However by using the Tamron AF60mm, a medium telephoto in APS-C format, I was able to achieve an intimate perspective along with an adequate working distance. Picture B shows a flat-coated retriever with an expanse of red canvas behind and above him. As with Picture A, I took this photograph at f/2.8, but there is a considerable difference in the out-of-focus effect in the background because the distance between the main subject and the background is greater in this shot. The greater the distance between the main subject and the background, the stronger the out-of-focus effect becomes. I focused on the eyes of the dogs in both cases. As previously mentioned, when shooting at a wide aperture such as f/2.8 you can't focus on your dog's nose and expect that the eyes will also be in focus. Critical focus is particularly important at wide apertures, so make sure the eyes of your beloved pet appear perfectly sharp in the finder before you press the shutter release. Picture C is the image of a Papillon sitting right at my feet. As you can see, he looked particularly cute as he gazed up at me inquisitively. The distance from his eyes to the ground was about 35 centimeters (14.2 inches). The background is the ground surface, which was sufficiently blurred at the distance. However, it might have been an even better picture if the background was something other than the surface of asphalt. |
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![LESSON [2] For Shots Indoors Set An ISO Within The 800 to 1600 Range](images/lesson2.gif){kind=small}
Let's take some pictures of cats.
These pictures were all taken indoors, using the natural light coming in from a window. Camera settings and shooting modes are the same as those used for the dog pictures.
Indoor photography is generally more challenging than outdoor photography due to the reduced illumination level. If you notice pictures of your cat are blurry, select a wider aperture (a smaller f/number), and set an ISO speed within the 800 to 1600 range, the exact number depending upon the particular lighting conditions in the room.
Pictures taken indoors tend to have fairly similar backgrounds due to the prevalence of blank walls so try to add visual interest to your indoor backgrounds by using pieces of cloth, drapery, etc. Light is directional even in indoor photography and you can alter the visual impressions of a scene dramatically by backlighting instead of front-lighting your subject. Picture D was taken with the subject lit from the front while the Picture E was taken with the subject backlit.
These pictures were all taken indoors, using the natural light coming in from a window. Camera settings and shooting modes are the same as those used for the dog pictures.
Indoor photography is generally more challenging than outdoor photography due to the reduced illumination level. If you notice pictures of your cat are blurry, select a wider aperture (a smaller f/number), and set an ISO speed within the 800 to 1600 range, the exact number depending upon the particular lighting conditions in the room.
Pictures taken indoors tend to have fairly similar backgrounds due to the prevalence of blank walls so try to add visual interest to your indoor backgrounds by using pieces of cloth, drapery, etc. Light is directional even in indoor photography and you can alter the visual impressions of a scene dramatically by backlighting instead of front-lighting your subject. Picture D was taken with the subject lit from the front while the Picture E was taken with the subject backlit.
Taken with the subject lit
 Picture DThis is a picture of "Punta", a lovely mixture of a Persian cat and British shorthair. He was in a basket with his feline brothers but the others are not visible because he was the only one standing when I took the picture. Light streaming from above did not reach inside the basket, so the background appears black. You can get a lot closer than this to your cat's cute face if you use a macro lens. Indeed, some of the best pet pictures capture only a portion of the animals face to emphasize its graphic elements. Note: These pictures were taken with the kind cooperation of "Cats' House" in Chigasaki and "Cocoralle" in Shimokitazawa. Taken with the Canon EOS 50D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 1/250 sec), -0.5 exposure compensation, ISO800, WB: Auto. * Click on the picture to see an enlarged image. |
Taken with the subject backlit
Picture EThese are pictures of "Adamo" and "Lumba", both mixed breeds of a "chinchilla" (Persian cat) and a British shorthair. Both cats were in the basket getting chummy with one another. I took this picture by getting down to their level and shooting directly into their eyes, using a pink cloth to add a color accent to the background. I wanted to capture both kittens in sharp focus, but freezing their motion was my first priority so I simply focused on the kitten looking at me. The scene was backlit with light streaming in from the window above the kittens, so I shot at the widest aperture. Note: These pictures above were taken with the kind cooperation of "Cats' House" in Chigasaki and "Cocoralle" in Shimokitazawa. Taken with the Canon EOS 50D and Tamron SP AF60mm F/2 Di II MACRO 1:1 (Model G005). Aperture priority AE (f/2.8, 1/150 sec), +0.5 exposure compensation, ISO800, WB:Auto. * Click on the picture to see an enlarged image. |
When the available light is weak, the effects of indoor lighting equipment can become so strong they can overwhelm the natural light and produce a harsh result. In extreme cases, it's best to turn off all the indoor lighting equipment so you can take beautiful pictures. If the room is simply too dark, you can use an external flash, but be judicious and work out a plan that gives a more diffuse, natural looking lighting effect, such as bouncing the flash off a ceiling or wall.
When taking pictures of cats it's usually easier to photograph their cute behavior if you set your camera to the burst (continuous shooting) mode. That way you'll stand a better chance of capturing the fleeting changes in your cat's facial expressions, moods, and behavior.
You're likely to feel a greater sense of accomplishment when you take good pictures of your cat since cats are notoriously challenging photographic subjects compared to dogs because of their rapid and unpredictable movements. With both species, you'll be well rewarded if you take it easy and have patience.
When taking pictures of cats it's usually easier to photograph their cute behavior if you set your camera to the burst (continuous shooting) mode. That way you'll stand a better chance of capturing the fleeting changes in your cat's facial expressions, moods, and behavior.
You're likely to feel a greater sense of accomplishment when you take good pictures of your cat since cats are notoriously challenging photographic subjects compared to dogs because of their rapid and unpredictable movements. With both species, you'll be well rewarded if you take it easy and have patience.
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Please look for Maki Kawa's next informative article: Session 5 Capturing detailed images of collectibles and small objects.
Session3