Learn How to Take Good Photos of People and Pets

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Learn How to Take Good Photos of People and Pets

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 Subscribe To Our Feed

People and pets are among the most challenging subjects to photograph, and yet these photographs command the most interest. No matter what your level of skill, there is always something new to learn about taking better pictures, especially when it comes to people and pets. We hope this article provides tips that help you better photograph the personalities of the people and pets in your life!

How to Take Great Pictures of People

The best pictures of people portray their personalities. While a snapshot captures a true likeness, often times the picture doesn’t portray the person’s usual expressions and people end up saying that the ” picture doesn’t look like me.” The best way to solve this problem is to spend some time talking with your subjects and get them comfortable with the camera. When you see that perfect expression start snapping pictures.

A few technical tips:

Keep in mind that Portrait mode tends to distort, making the subject look wider or younger. Even though some people may appreciate looking younger, normally you want to avoid this distortion by zooming in on your subject. Stand close enough that the subject fills the frame of your viewfinder, take one step back, zoom to fill your frame again and shoot.
Use natural light when possible. If using indoor lighting, try to use lamps with full spectrum light bulbs. Try to avoid low ceiling light as this creates bad shadows.
Shoot in high resolution so that you can make nice, large prints of the best, then display them in frames to hang on your walls and give as gifts.

How to Take Great Pet Pictures

The first rule of thumb for taking pet pictures is: Set your camera to Sports mode or a high shutter speed!

If your camera has a “Burst” mode this can help because it lets you shoot a lot of pictures rapidly so you’ll be more likely to get a good shot.

Sometimes you may want to catch an action photo and show movement, so instead of using a higher shutter speed to freeze the action, you may want to blur it. In this case, use Portrait mode for a slower shutter speed.

With animals especially, natural light is always best because flashes can upset pets plus, your pictures will come out better with outdoor lighting. If you need to use a flash, make sure you’re far enough away from your pet’s eyes so you don’t damage them by checking your camera’s manual for recommended safe distances (usually it’s 4 or more feet).

If your pet has a light colored coat, a bright overcast sky will highlight it best; conversely if your pet has a dark coat, direct sunlight will bring out the richness of color. If photographing outdoors, you want to use the same times of day you would with people, so take pictures when the sun is low in th sky. And for framing pictures of your pets, go with a type of frame that complements the color of your pet’s fur like brown picture frames or for a more decorative look go with a pet specific frame like a dog picture frame or cat picture frame.

If you want to get really good candid photos of your pet, take time to follow your pet around with your camera and be patient until you get a picture you really like. Using zoom will allow you to get good shots without being so close your pet is more interested in the camera then just being itself giving. So if possible, always keep your distance and use an optical zoom for best results.

And like people, you want to focus on your pet’s eyes for maximum impact. Get down to your pet’s level to do this.

By using these tips for how to take better people and pet pictures you’ll have what you need to capture some fantastic photos. Have fun shooting and don’t forget to frame your favorite photos!

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