Getting a pet to look into your camera lens can be a bit of a hassle. Some pets are camera shy and some just don’t know what you’re putting in their face. This makes getting a portrait of your pet really tough sometimes.
So how do you do it? We first off recommend getting down low to their level to make it more interpersonal, though your creative vision can surely call for standing. Before you even start to take the picture, you should know that this needs to be done quickly. To facilitate the process, start out by choosing a focusing point based on the composition that you have in your head. When you’ve done this, grab a treat, toy, or something else that your pet loves. Dogs and cats love treats!
Get the pet’s attention with the object, then grab your camera start to slowly move the object around. Hold the object right on top of the lens and watch as your pet’s head moves and follows the object. Place the selected focusing point over your pet’s eye and shoot quickly. If you’re not quick enough, your pet will become impatient, try to snatch the object or get frustrated.
Photographers shooting in manual mode should try to have their exposure ready before hand by metering off of the coat of your pet to start. Otherwise, aperture priority or shutter priority combined with an ISO level a bit higher than you’d normally use can help you capture the perfect pet photo.
To make this simpler, we recommend shooting wide. Check out Fujifilm’s wide angle offerings in our lens guide for even more.
Xpert Advice is a monthly collaboration between the Phoblographer and Fujifilm designed to teach you photography tips and tricks in a bite-sized package.
