Pet Photography Tip - by Myrtle Beach Photography

I decided to write about pets because it seems that every time I open my Facebook, there are hundreds of photos of friends pictures of their pets.  Taking pictures of your 4 legged family members is not always easy. Pets, unlike humans, do not understand what we are trying to do and won’t just pose for the camera! Here are some tips that will help you help you get the most of your pet photography:

1. Take the Images Where Your Pet Feels Most Comfortable

Go to your pet in his/her natural environment.  It is very important that you pet feels comfortable and at ease, so instead of forcing him to come to you go to him. The best tip is to get down to his level.  Show us the way they see world! Sit on the floor or lie on your belly and remember to shoot from your pets eye level.

2. Use Natural Light

Try to avoid using a flash.  A flash can sometimes frighten the animal so a flash can end you session before it ever begins. In addition, flash causes red eye which we have all encountered.  Instead try to go outside or, if it is not possible, in a room well lit by a large window.

3. Show Their Character

We all know that whether we are taking pictures of our children or our pets, the most valued pictures are the ones that show them as they are.  Try and catch them doing the things they most enjoy.  If your dog, cat, bird etc. likes to play, photograph them playing or sleeping.  Tell their story through photography.



4. Focus On The Eyes

Having sharp eyes is important in any kind of portraits photography. As they say, “Eyes are the Window to the Soul” and pets eye can be very expressive. So make sure to focus on your pet’s eyes and keep the tack sharp

5. Fill The Frame

Fill the frame with your pet’s face and fur, close up shots often make beautiful  portrait.

6. Be Patient

Patience, Patience, Patience.  Talk lots and lots of shots.  Pet photography requires a lot of patience.   No matter how excited your furry friend is, if you are patient enough, he will end up by relaxing and you will have the opportunity to get that shot.



7. The Element of Surprise

Keeping your pet still will be the most difficult task.   Here is a great trick.  Let your pet play or sleep and once you have everything ready, have someone call for him or whistle. This will surprise your pet and catch his attention and you will have a few seconds to that perfect shot.

9. Experiment

Use different angles and compositions. Shoot a lot you will have time to worry about the results later.

10. Have Fun With The Shoot

Don't stress because your pet will pick up on the tension.  If you have fun, they will have fun.  Remember, lots and lots of shots.

Myrtle Beach Photography Tip: Consumer Reports Top 10 Cameras

Myrtle Beach Interesting Factoid:  Consumer Reports REPORTS:

Rating SLR Cameras:
1.  Canon EOS 60D
2.  Olympus E-5
3.  Nikon D7000
4.  Canon EOS Rebel T3i
5.  Canon EOS 7D
6.  Canon EOS Rebel T4i
7.  Canon EOS Rebel T3
8.  Canon EOS Rebel T2i
9.  Nikon D3200
10. Nikon D3100

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Background Clutter Tip by Myrtle Beach Photography

       

Our studio takes thousands of family beach portrait shots a summer.  The biggest obstacle we run into is clutter.  Everything from trash on the beach to people walking in the background when the beaches are busy.  Even a small piece of trash or a cigarette butt can destroy an image. Clutter can turn a beautiful professional portrait into what can look like a snapshot.  When setting up a portrait shot, consider simplifying the background to avoid photo clutter. Take the time to move things that can be a distraction.  If you take a photo of someone in front of a busy background, when someone else looks at the picture their eyes will be pulled to the distractions.

Your photos should focus the viewer on the person, and only afterwards their surroundings. Instead of getting an entire beach scene in the photo, just get enough so the viewer knows the person is in front of ocean. Try and crop out any hotels or people walking by.  You cannot get entire beach scene in a photo and still record the details of a person's face, so unless you are just going for the effect of comparing the person's size with the largeness of their surroundings, focus on one background detail and let the person's image fill most of the viewfinder.  These small tips will save you hours in the graphic process if you are aware of your surroundings.

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Photography Tip -Motion Blur - by Myrtle Beach Photography

Tips to Avoid Motion Blur

The number one frustration that parents have come to me with while trying to photography their child at an event or practice is motion blur.  To understand why this happens, you need a little background about shutter speed and the aperture.  The aperture or the F-stop setting determines the amount of light getting into the camera.  The more light that is allowed in, the better chance to stop the motion blur.  Also, the shutter speed needs to be fast in order to stop the blur.  When photographing a gymnastics event, I usually have my shutter speed set to around 400, which is pretty quick.  If the shutter speed is fast, less light is allowed into the camera.  So, you need to pick the lowest shutter speed possible to allow in the light but still keep the blur from messing up you shot.  The more still you can keep you camera, the lower your shutter speed can be set.   Your number one best solution is to buy a lens that is F2.8 or lower. The more expensive lens will usually come with image stabilization and will allow you to set your aperture so more light can enter your camera.  Your cameras aperture will only go as low as your lens will allow.  That is why if you purchase a lens at F2.8, your cameras aperture can be set to allow in more light.  This can be an expensive fix so here are a few other things that you can do to make blurry photos less of a likelihood.

    Buy A Tripod

If you are having trouble keeping still because of health issues such as muscle weakness or pains, this is your best bet. Even if this is not the case with you, a tripod is still a great investment for your digital camera use. No worries from shaking while you hold your camera makes this a winning choice for many photo opportunities. When buying a tripod you must make certain that you are getting a sturdy, well built model. You don’t want to have it falling down with your expensive digital camera and lenses.

    Prop Yourself

The camera will detect shaking even if it does not seem like we are moving  and this is a major cause of blurry photos. Before taking the shot, look around for some sort of prop that you can use to lean on.

If you are sitting down, a good prop can be your knees.  I will sometimes prop up my knees and set the lens on them to hold the camera steady. Same goes for a fence or stair rail.  Anything you can find to hold you steady will work.

If you are inventive and have the resources around you such as small buildings, cars, trees, even picnic tables, then you can come up with a position that you are comfortable with.

    Snap Gently

Don’t go overboard on pressing the button down! Too much force can actually give your camera a slight shake. Slow and gentle can do wonders for your photos !

     Hold Your Breath

Many people don’t realize that breathing moves the body and therefore the camera in such a way as to make the seemingly perfect shot blurry. You made every effort to be still and it happened again ! Even the slight movement caused by inhaling or exhaling can disrupt a shutter that is staying open to take a low light shot.

As you can see there are some simple solutions that should get you back on track to taking great photos. Take your environment into consideration and use it to your advantage.