Taking photographs of animals

Animal photography is challenging because it’s difficult to get your subjects to do what you’d like them to do. Sure, a well-trained dog is more likely to sit or stay than your average hamster, but even Lassie doesn’t follow directions as well as your average human. But by following just a few helpful tips, you can take animal photographs that say a lot more about your pet than, "Gosh, he’s sure blurry!"
Get ready to say cheese
A lot of animals, whether they are house pets or barnyard creatures, don’t like cameras. Perhaps it’s something to do with the size or the shape of the camera that frightens many animals. Add in the loud click of a shutter and the bright light of a flash, and you can seriously spook some animals. The end result is a blurry, out-of-focus shot.
Many household pets can be trained to get used to cameras. Let your pet sniff or smell the camera when you’re not using it, and give them special treats every time you take their picture.
He might be a cute cat, but this picture is blurry. This could have been eliminated with the use of the camera’s flash.

If you’re taking pictures of wild or barnyard animals, you can’t really get them used to your camera. Because most animals are scared of motion and noise, move very slowly and carefully in order to get the best pictures without spooking them.
This zebra at an animal preserve was very nervous about having its picture taken. But this portrait was captured by moving very slowly and not spooking him.

Know their personalities
Most pets have certain rituals, and the same is true for wildlife. They are sleepy part of the time, foraging for food at other times, and playing or fighting the rest of the time. If you know the moods of the animal, you’ll be able to tell if they’re about to do something playful, funny, or interesting.
Get their personalities
A good animal picture is not that different from a good person picture. You need to capture their personality in the picture or you’ll just end up with a boring snapshot. If your cat likes to play, try to photograph it running around. If your dog has a sad face, try to take a close-up shot of his expression. If you’re trying to photograph a lion at the zoo, aim for the big moment when she’s doing something straight out of The Lion King instead of when she’s taking a nap.

Get closer
Another trick for good animal shots is getting close to the subject. Try to get as close as your camera will focus and see if your pet looks interesting from that angle. Often the texture of a pet’s fur or the detail in the wings of a parrot are very interesting subjects. (And no, we’re not saying you should get close to a lion, but you could use zoom or a telephoto lens to make your picture appear closer.) Look at the detail and colors that make up your pet’s fur, hair, feathers, or scales and see if those would be interesting to focus on. Or take a picture that focuses on their eyes, ears, paws, or snouts.

Clear out the clutter
Like a lot of pictures, shots of animals sometimes have really distracting backgrounds. A problem that’s particular to animal photography is that animals are generally much shorter than people. As a result, a lot of photographs are taken from above the animal, which isn’t the best angle. If possible, try to get on the same level as the subject, by crouching or sitting down, to get a good photograph.

Freeze your subject
If you’re taking a picture of an animal when it’s moving quickly, it’s good to use your camera’s flash. Even if it’s a bright day out, if the animal is moving quickly (and it’s not something dangerous like our friend the lion), turning on your flash will help freeze the animal in motion. Take a Frisbee-catching-doggy to the park and the little boost from your flash will help keep shots of Rover sharp, right down to his fur.
It might be a little harder to get good pictures of animals, but using some of these tricks will get you some great shots of your furry, feathered, scaly, or curly-haired friends.
Article and photos supplied by Dana J. Robinson.

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