Pet photos, critiques?

[caradoc]

I note that dogs are about as interesting to work with as kids – they both listen to directions the same, and their attention spans rival those of fruit flies.

Tips?

[Analogy]

Try and work with them when they’re bored and not too riled up. They’re a little more likely to pay attention and follow your instructions, look the way you want them, stuff like that (snapping your fingers where you want them to look works great). I’ve also found that a wide angle lens lets you engage them a bit more by getting really close. It also gives you a nice dramatic perspective.

I wanted her eyes to be looking up to her right, but she kept lifting her head when I tried to get her to look that way. Oh well.

[monkeybort]

my dog does NOT like getting his picture taken – he’s had enough of that weird black thing being shoved in his face. 😛 it’s become quite a challenge to actually get him to look at the camera.

this is what he usually does –

so then i wait until he falls asleep –

[caradoc]

I seem to be having better luck with a stick, some string, and a little ball of feathers on the end of it. Twitch it a few times to get their attention, and then try to get the shot before they lunge for it…

[Curious]

and then try to get the shot before they lunge for it…

you’ve never met my dog. 10 lbs of pure energy. thank heaven for continuous mode.

actually i can get good shots of her occasionally but it’s never a poised one. the dog i had before her was 50/60 lbs like the ones you folks posted and stood still much better. seems like every time i get down to their level, either the cats or the dog, they want to get right up in my camera.

[Claff]

I went to the dog park over the weekend with the kids and got frustrated because every time I had one in a good pose I’d get down on the ground and she’d take that as an invitation to come over and say hi. But sometimes they behave

Even got some action pics as well

I’ll echo the sentiment that dogs make for better pic taking when they’re tuckered

[caradoc]

I went to the dog park over the weekend with the kids and got frustrated because every time I had one in a good pose I’d get down on the ground and she’d take that as an invitation to come over and say hi.

I tried that once at the local dog park.

Once.

After I got home and cleaned my lens thoroughly, I swore I’d never get down on “eye level” with any dogs but my own.

Not without a couple of disposable UV filters, anyway… Dog slobber on the optics is, well, kinda icky.

[Analogy]

Success! It just took lots of ear rubbing and a little patience. Didn’t have my wide angle with me so I had to crawl back a couple feet to take the picture and hope she didn’t move.

Lighting was a studio strobe bounced off the ceiling.

[Klahanie]

Sweet photos, everyone. 🙂

[caradoc]

Improvements. I played with them until they were a little more tired, and here we go…

The images are linked to the Flickr pages on which they’re hosted, including the lighting info.

I’m having too much fun with that little Smith-Victor 45i. If anyone’s looking for a *cheap* way into semi-studio lighting check out the Smith-Victor “Thrifty” kits. For about $150ish, you can get into a pair of strobes, light stands, and umbrellas. They’ve got built-in optical slaves, or you can string ’em off of a PC sync cord.

I’m going to pick up a set of the Gadget Infinity 16-channel RF remotes to play with to get loose from the cords.

[DeathofRats]

Tips for making my black cat look more like a cat and less like a furry blob with eyes?

They are usually fighting, so to catch them sleeping so near eachother is rare. That they are sleeping in nearly identical positions is stranger still.

Cats can be harder to pose than dogs or kids. You typically have to wait until they decide they want to pose for you.

[caradoc]

Tips for making my black cat look more like a cat and less like a furry blob with eyes?

Off-camera flash. I’ve yet to find any way to better bring up fur sheen than by moving the flash off the camera.

It’s not the best shot for composition, but this is the result of one flash about two feet from my left shoulder, and one flash above and behind the blonde dog. You should be able to tell from the shadows where it is.

[XenPix]

My mother has a black dawg, and she’s a beech to try and photograph. A) She never gets tired. Ever. B) She’s black.

The best way to give them a bit more shape is to get lots of light on them, the shine from the coat (even a shaggy moggy) gives them a bit of definition. Either that, or shave them. 😉

(I do not condone shaving your kitten for the purposes of photography, just in case some nutter takes that seriously.)

[Elsinore]

(I do not condone shaving your kitten for the purposes of photography, just in case some nutter takes that seriously.)

Awww why not? 🙁

[monkeybort]

yeah, black animals are hard. you need to light the crap out of them because they just suck it aaaaall in.

make sure you’re metering for the dog/cat – spot metering would probably be your best bet in this case. it’ll blow out your surroundings, but give you detail in the animal.

[Author]

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