Photographing Fido: Take great pet pics

Capture memorable moments with tips from the pros

By Nestor Gula

Pets are notorious to photograph. Unlike people, they don’t take direction well and if they feel like moving, scampering around or hiding behind a couch, they will.

Ulana Smereczynsky, a retired schoolteacher in Etobicoke, Ont., loves to photograph her cats Micya and Harny. But while she likes her photographs, she’s hoping the switch to a digital camera will improve images, not to mention allow her to remove, or at least soften up, backgrounds once pictures are transferred to the computer.

Microsoft Home Magazine went to the pros to find out how we can use their animal photography tricks to snap our own pets, whether they’re sitting still or playing catch in the yard.

Snapping candid and posed shots

There’s a big difference between taking a shot of your pet cavorting and taking one of him posing in the studio.

The action shot can be made by casually pressing the shutter at the right place and time. “For best results use a tripod and a fast shutter speed,” advises Toronto photographer David Morris. On consumer-level cameras, put the camera in “kids and pets” mode if it exists; otherwise sports mode will work too. For the best natural effect, make sure you remove your animal’s collar before shooting.

With portrait-type shots, you have to know what kind of image you want before you set up the scene. In other words, there’s no room for spontaneity.

According to both Morris and Helen Tansey, a portrait photographer with studios in Toronto and New York, pets have to be trained to sit still and respond to commands.

A child with a pet can make a wonderful photo, but take note: “It’s much more difficult if you want two subjects to smile at the same time,” says Morris. Nonetheless, “it’s worth it when it works out.”

Pets should be trained slowly and never forced to pose. In fact, it’s much like teaching them a new trick. The experience has to be fun for both owner and pet, and the pet should be comfortable.

Getting the right light

Tansey does most of her photography in a studio and says she will talk with pet owners first to find out which words will get animals to react and perk up their ears. She also finds out what treats the animals like and makes sure she has plenty on hand during the shoot.

When it comes to correctly lighting your shot, follow these tips.

Go for simple lighting. Tansey uses a single light with a softbox to light up the animals.
With simple point-and-shoot cameras, soften the flash by holding a bit of opaque paper, such as tissue, in front of it.
If you have an external flash mounted on your camera, point it away from the pet and the light will “bounce” off the wall or ceiling.
When photographing pets outdoors, use natural lighting, says Morris. Of course, “standard precautions have to be taken, like not photographing into the sun.”
Use a fill-in flash to bring out details, such as fur. To do this, turn on the camera’s force-flash setting. The flash will now go off every time you take a picture.

Extra advice

Once you get started, it may be hard to stop snapping your pet pictures. Here are some additional tips.

Don’t get frustrated — your pet will sense this and become even more restless.
Don’t force animals to do anything or they’ll run away.
You can reflect sunlight to where you need it with sheets of white bristol board.
Work quickly. Pets rarely have the patience of their owners.
Take lots of pictures — with a digital camera, you can erase the ones that aren’t quite right.
Keep photo sessions short until your pet gets comfortable.
Fix your photos with Windows Photo Gallery, which comes with Windows Vista. Use it to correct red-eye, crop your images, and make easy adjustments to features such as colour, brightness and shadow.
Try not to have your pet in the centre of all pictures. Experiment with positioning, but know that it’s aesthetically better to leave room for the pet to be moving into the shot, says Morris.
Once you have a collection of perfect pet portraits and cuddly candid shots, share them with friends and family. Try a social networking site such as Windows Live Spaces which allows you to upload up to 500 photos a month, organize them into albums and even view them as a slide show on your Windows Live Space.