Black Pet

Photographing Pets

Photographing animals is difficult. It requires a good deal of patience, and demands a different approach to snapping other subjects.

This article focuses primarily on dogs and cats, and should be read in conjunction with my other articles “the basic principles of lighting”, and “framing the subject”.

Lighting

Correctly lighting an animal requires a slightly different approach to lighting a human subject; fur does not reflect light in the same way as skin. The exact position of the main light source and level of modelling is subordinate to the need to capture texture (e.g. their noses do not cast shadows on their faces). The main light source still needs to fall from above and to one side, but the exact angle of the light is less critical, and stronger and more direct illumination can and should be used.

I recommend the use of flash light combined with good daylight to make fur shine. Cats and dogs do not appear to be aware of flash light, nor worried by it. There are however, two potential problems to avoid: “red-eye” and “black halo”.

Red-eye is caused by the reflection of light from the retina of the eye. This can be minimised by using an off-camera flash (if you have one), positioned slightly above, below, and/or to one side of the axis of the camera. Most modern cameras with built-in flash units have a red-eye reduction mode. This uses a series of pre-exposure flashes to close the subject’s iris. The use of flash as a fill-in with bright daylight also minimises red-eye.

Black-halo is the hard shadow cast by the use of flash in low light conditions. The way to avoid this is to ensure that the flash isn’t the main (brightest) light source.

Exposure and focus (dark subjects)

Modern cameras are fully automatic in this respect, but most do not perform well when the subject is something like a black dog. I use an expensive Leica, but it still underexposes, and hunts for a focus lock when photographing my (black) dogs.

If your camera has a spot metering facility, use it. If you have a manual override capability, try “bracketing” (i.e. repeat each shot and deliberately over expose). If you have control over shutter speeds, use a fast setting. Similarly, if your camera allows manual focusing, try doing this yourself.

Underexposure can be corrected using Photoshop (etc), provided that the lighting was more or less right (i.e. under exposure due to backlighting cannot be corrected).

Poor focus cannot be corrected retrospectively.

Correct angle of view

The height from which the photograph is shot is very important. Too often I see aerial shots of small dogs and cats photographed by their towering 6-foot owner. The simple rule is – try to get the camera on the same level as the subject.

With cats and smaller dogs, it can be easier to place them on a table or any other suitable item of furniture or support. Sometimes you have to get down on the floor, but many animals will think you are playing a game.

Encouraging co-operation

The hardest part of pet portrait photography is getting the subject’s co-operation.

The pet owner should know the best way to accomplish this; the place in which their pet is most likely to feel comfortable, whether they are more amenable before or after feeding/exercise, what commands or noises they will respond to.

My personal tips are:-

1. If possible, work in the place and at a time that best suits the pet.

2. Leave the commands/noises to one person, preferably the photographer. There is nothing worse than instructions coming from all around the animal.

3. Don’t dangle food/toys in front of the subject – they will inevitably move to get them.

4. One way of getting pets to stay still for a few seconds is to rub something tasty on their jaws. They will almost certainly stop to lick their lips.

Posing the subject

If your dog has been trained to sit or stand, that can be very helpful, but mostly, you will need to be very patient and wait for the required pose to happen.

With male dogs, watch-out for “things popping out”, and reposition if it does.

Don’t photograph cats lying down. They often tuck their legs under their bodies, which results in the overall body shape becoming little more than a fury blob.

Be objective; it’s too easy to see nothing more than the pet you love, and overlook the fact that the shot you are about to take is dull.

Portraits by John Burton
About the Author

Portrait artist working mainly from clients’ own photographs.

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