By Cari Cooney
If you love to take pictures of your pets, or you're an aspiring photographer looking for some good tips, this is the article for you. If you want to capture your pet's attention to snap a great picture, I'll show you just how easy it is. Now you won't have to stress over animals looking the other direction or wandering off from boredom.
Dogs
Since dogs and cats need separate attention when having their pictures taken, we'll be dealing with felines in the following section. This one is all about the pooch. Dogs are generally pretty easy to photograph. It's easier to teach a dog simple obedience in their younger years than a cat. If you dog knows how to "sit" and "stay," you've got it made!
"Puppies take patience and kittens take cunning."
Once you have your pet placed in the position where you want to picture him, let him get acquainted with the props (if you have any). He will be fascinated with the new toys you've set in front of him, even if they're not meant to be chewed on.
It's popular to take a picture of a new puppy in a laundry basket filled with towels. The puppy may want to root around in the towels for a while, but just be patient and let him explore for a few minutes. Just like the ten thousand other toys you've purchased for him, he'll get bored with it quickly.
Don't expect to have these pictures snapped within 15 minutes. My suggestion is that if you really want to take the time to do a good sitting with your pet, set aside an hour of your time. This will cover his exploring, chewing and possible potty breaks if he's little.
If your pet is ready for the picture, there is one simple trick that will work on 90% of all dogs. Just whistle. You don't need to whistle for long, just one quick, high-pitched whistle. Your dog should look directly at the source of the sound (make sure you're placed where you want him to look) and perk his ears if he can. You need to be on your toes with pets, so once you've whistled at him, be sure to snap the picture fast and, if you're lucky, you'll get a picture like the one in Figure A.
FIGURE A
One whistle had this half-asleep pup wide awake. (click for larger image)
Cats
If you're a cat owner, you know they just don't really care about anything. With the attention span of an infant (at least on things you care about), getting your cat to hold still and stare at the camera is a tricky task. Working with cats in photography is a delicate situation. Luckily, as a proud owner of two felines, I can help.
What I've learned from working with professionals and experienced on my own has been similar. Cats do not like you to pose them. They don't like outfits, they don't want to be on Santa's lap for your Christmas card and they never want to stare where they're supposed to. Here is the best advice I can give you to take good pictures of your cats.
The first thing you should do is prep your area. Unlike dogs, cats need to be lured, intrigued even. I suggest taking a pinch of catnip and lather your hands with it (rubbing it back and forth in your hands like soap brings out the scent). Sprinkle the catnip in the area you want the cat to go to. If your cat likes it, he'll wander over there and sniff around for a while, roll over and be all cute.
Give him a few minutes to indulge himself and then get ready to take some shots. You can go ahead and whistle, but it probably won't do you any good. Cats aren't attracted to whistling. Some may respond to it, but if they're like mine, they won't even lift their head. The best noises you can make to get your cat looking in your direction are best described as an "angry squirrel."
Make a fast clicking with your tongue and teeth. This sound makes my cats stop dead in their tracks and stare at me, eyes wide open. Move quickly to take their photos, they'll get disinterested fast. You can also make "kissy" or "smooching" sounds by smacking your lips together. Don't try to jingle a toy above the camera to get their attention. They will run over to you and try to bat at it. Look at Figure B to see my sound effects in action.
FIGURE B
10 seconds before this, he was tangled in the lights. Once he heard the sounds, he stood at attention. (click for larger image)
Cats vs. dogs
So as you can see, there is a difference in how you should handle each species of animal in regards to photography. Puppies take patience and kittens take cunning.
Follow my tips and you'll have the perfect pet pictures to share with all your friends! Also, I used a soft focus on Figure A and a vignette and oil-painting effect on Figure B. Both of these effects were created by Adobe Photoshop Elements version 6. You can read about the ease and affordability of this product by reading my Connected Photographer review.