Animals Galore – Digital Photography Tips for Animal Subjects - Comparing digital cameras & buying guide for different type of digital photography

Animals Galore – Digital Photography Tips for Animal Subjects

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Written by Kathryn M. D’Imperio

Wednesday, 12 April 2006

Digital Photography Tips for Animal Subjects

Photographed by S.Qodsi

Curious, fascinating and oftentimes adorable, animal subjects can be a lot of fun to photograph. From the natural wildlife in your geographic region to the interesting critters you encounter on vacation, wildlife photography can be completely exhilarating.

For a photography project with many distinct flavors, visit your local zoo to capture some incredible endangered species on camera. Remember to modify your settings for the indoor creatures and adjust settings again when you go back outside. Use your zoom features for animals that are too far away to photograph clearly.

Finally, for a fantastic digital photography session without even leaving the comforts of home, round up your pets for a mini photo shoot. Gather a few of their favorite toys and let the fun begin. Read on for more tips on photographing animal subjects.

1. Don’t forget to zoom in close to your subject. If you decide to shoot images of a bird in a tree, a far off deer or another creature that is off in the distance, use your zoom functions instead of moving in closer to your subject.
2. Take lots of pictures. You can delete the ones that didn’t turn out the best afterwards a lot easier than you can recreate your current shooting situation.
3. Introduce props into your photos. When you take photos of your pets, give them a treat or a favorite toy. Give your dog a bone or your cat a little catnip mousy… it’s sure to create some classic photographic opportunities.
4. Focus on image composition. Animate your photos even more by photographing a person interacting with the animal, or two pets interacting together.
5. Plan to spend some time waiting for the perfect shot.
6. Apply a fast shutter speed. This allows your camera to freeze the animal’s action without underexposing your subject.
7. Keep a comfortable distance between you and your subject. If you are photographing potentially dangerous creatures, be sure to keep your distance. If you are photographing nervous critters, don’t get too close or you might scare away your subject!
8. Try not to use your flash if you can help it. Flash creates red
9. Be mindful of your subject’s habitat. If you are photographing wildlife, don’t tromp around their home.
10. Be careful not to startle your subject. Avoid wearing any strong perfume or cologne, as you do not want to draw attention to yourself.
11. If you can adjust the sound settings on your camera, try to eliminate any beeping or other picture-taking tones. This will also help prevent startling your animal subject.
12. When focusing in on an animal, pay close attention that the eyes are clear and sharp.
13. Vary the angles at which you shoot. Take some horizontal, some vertical and some artistic shots. This will come in especially handy when you organize your photos into an album at a later date.
14. Affix a polarizing filter to your lens when shooting fish and other subjects in or near water. Also, if you photograph subjects in the snow or at the beach, a polarizer will enrich the sky and it will prevent the snow or sand from washing out your entire image.

Comments

Rob
on 2007-05-15 17:56:35

Thanks for the tips!