Getting good images of my pet

When I am out and about, there are a number of tings I hear continuously – one is ‘my dog will never sit still’, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago – and another is how do you get good images of pets with a dark coat and dark eyes. The problem most people face is that when they take a photo of their pet the eyes can get lost because they are similar in colour to the pets coat. This can happen with pets that have brown coast and brown eyes, or black coats with dark brown eyes and often the images may have been taken inside or in deep shade where there is not much light. t can also sometimes happen when the eyes are set back or their is a bit of hair over the eyes that may put them in some shade.

The easiest way to find your pets eyes is to get a ‘catch-light’ in their eyes, this just means a bit of light reflection that gives their eyes a bit of sparkle and makes them stand out. You can do this indoors with a flash, but the problem is that sometimes you cannot control your flash and you end up with ‘demon’ eyes, where they look like a lion being photographed at night with eyes peering out from the grass lands. The image to the right is taken in the studio with flash heads that are adjustable and set up with light boxes. An on camera flash will not allow the same type of adjustment.

The best way is to take your pet outside or close to a window that has plenty of light, have them facing the light and look at their eyes, and see if they have a bit of light there? If you do this outside, try to do it on a overcast day, as this will allow you to get a more even shot without harsh shadows. If it is a sunny day, try to find some nice light shade.

Many cameras have an automatic setting and this is great for everyday general photographing, however if you are trying to photograph things that are at the extreme end of colour such as something very light or something very dark, it may find it hard to give you a good image, the camera is not as good as your eyes as picking up little details. You can try using your cameras manual setting such as full manual, where you can adjust the shutter speed and aperture or use either aperture or shutter speed priority settings. These setting will allow you to dictate how light or dark you want your image, and the great thing about digital is that you can take a couple of shots to see if it is right and than make adjustments if it isn’t. Most cameras should also let you adjust your ISO, this is a term from film days that related to the speed of your film. A higher ISO, like 800, will give you more light in darker conditions and a smaller ISO of 100, less light. You need to remember that the higher your ISO the more ‘noise’ you will get in your images. Noise is like grain in film, and will be most noticeable if you plan to make enlargements of your images.

I have gotten a bit technical here and given a quick course on your digital camera. If you really want great images, it does pay to get to know your camera and how to make adjustments – in the end you will find you can get some beautiful shots of your dark fur-friend.

Posted on March 14, 2012

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Paws for Charity

Sorry for the late blog post – just been one of those weeks. I do have some exciting news though – I am going to be in the 2012 Paws for Charity Art Book.

Each year, Paws for Charity produces a book, featuring photos or artworks from animal artists around the world. This the fourth book and I am fortunate to be one of 66 artists from around the world to be featured this year, along with one of my favourite images of a husky (see image at right). The great thing about this book (other than it supports an animal charity) is that it features all different types of artistic works, including drawing, paintings and photography, so it is a very unique project.

This year’s book supports S.H.A.I.D. Tree Animal Shelter in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, so all proceeds go to a very good cause. The book has just been sent to Blurb and will be available for sales soon (I’ll let you know).

For more information about Paws for Charity, visit the Paws for Charity Blog or visit Paws for Charity on Facebook

Creature Focus Animal Photography is a proud member of:

Posted on March 7, 2012

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Best job in the world

I think I have the best job in the world. I spend my days photographing or going through photos of beautiful animals that are loved and are part of a family. Over the seven years I have been photographing pets I have seen some wonderful examples of the human/animal bond and how much each means to the other.

That’s why I find it so hard to understand why there are so many pets that cannot find a permanent home, so when I found an opportunity to help these animals, i jumped on it and I have been very fortunate to be able to photograph some lovely Beagles for Beagle Rescue Victoria (see Denver below)and starting tomorrow I will be doing some regular photography of adoptees for Animal Aid.

The animals up for adoption with these animal rescue organisations come to them in many different ways, each of them has shown they are ready and willing to find their forever homes and so are the perfect pets. Both Beagle Rescue and Animal Aid are very careful to re-home their animals with the appropriate people to ensure it all works well.

If you are looking for a new family member, please visit a rescue organisation, you will not be disappointed.

Meet Denver

Posted on February 28, 2012

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Two very cute sisters

Last weekend I had a special photo session with two sisters. Chiko and Koko are Poodle x Maltese one-year-olds, and they are full of life and just gorgeous.

On arriving at the shoot Chiko and Koko’s owner thought I might have been a salesperson as she her partner had organised the shoot as a surprise for her, and the sisters. I spent about an hour and half with the family and we got some lovely indoor and outdoor images (see below).

Photographing two dogs is an extra challenge, so generally I work with whichever dog is willing, and then swap, usually then ending with images of the two together. I find one of the hardest things to do is find tricks that work for both dogs at the same time.

The real trick is to just be patient and be ready for when they give you the look you want.

Until next time enjoy Chiko and Koko.

Posted on August 31, 2010

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Meet Fletcher

I recently did a photo shoot for a friend of mine, whose miniature Schnauzer puppy had a heart defect.  Little Fletcher only had one of his four hear valves working and so would run out of breath very easily, he also needed to be on medication to ensure he didn’t get overly worked up as we all know puppies can do.  This has meant that Fletcher start to life has been quiet and subdue compared to most puppies, that is not to say that he isn’t full of life and very friendly – he most definitely is.

Fortunately Fletcher’s condition is not that uncommon and yesterday he underwent surgery to fix it.  I have heard from his Mum that the operation went even better than expected and Fletcher will make a full recovery, this means all his valves are now open and he can run around and play with other dogs and just be a puppy.  Needless to say his Mum and all his friends are very happy.

As I mentioned earlier I did a photo shoot of Fletcher for his Mum on Friday – here are a couple of shots.

Posted on August 24, 2010

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New Website

Creature Focus has just launched it’s new look website. Apart from the new design, there are a couple of added features, such as a contact form on the contact us page and a subscribe to our newsletter spot.

I have also updated the studio and on location galleries, so if I photographed your dog in the last six months or so, go and have a look as they may now be featured.  I hope to be able to update the galleries fairly regularly to showcase new images as they come.

The other great feature is this blog, which I will update regularly with news and client photos, and if you would like to make any comments please do so as I would love to hear from you and I would be happy to answer any queries. You can also contact me through Twitter and Facebook by following the links on the homepage.

I hope you enjoy the new website and I’ll be in touch soon.

Posted on August 9, 2010

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