How to Take Good Pictures of People and Pets
Wednesday, March 17th, 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 always reflect their personality and character. While a picture may capture the person in the moment, sometimes the picture doesn’t accurately reflect the person’s usual expressions or appearance. 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 so the subject fills the camera’s viewfinder and then take one step backwards, zoom again to fill the frame and shoot your picture.
- Use natural light when possible. If using indoor lighting, opt for lamps with full spectrum bulbs. Low ceiling light usually creates pretty 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 thing you need to do anytime you’re taking pet photos is to set your camera to a high shutter speed or use “sports” mode!
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 instead of using the higher shutter speed to freeze the action, you might want to blur it to emphasize a crazy movement, like your dog chasing its tail. 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).
Depending upon the color of your pet’s fur coat, you’ll want to use different lighting for best results. For a light colored coat, you want a bright overcast sky and for a dark brown or black coat, you want to have direct sunlight to bring out the rich colors. If photographing in bright sunlight, use the same times of day you would with people, when the sun is lower rather than higher in the 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.
To get really good candid shots of your pet, plan your photo shoot for when you have lots of time to follow your pet around, camera ready. 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.
Finally as with people, focus on the eyes. Try to get “eye level” with your pet which often means getting on the floor to capture that perfect photo.
By using these tips, you’ll be able to start taking better pictures right away and have photos that you’ll be proud to display. Have fun shooting and don’t forget to frame your favorite photos!
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