New member needing help with photography

[jsarance]

I raise shichons and have a website to sell my puppies. It is critical that I have good pictures of my puppies. I enjoy cleaning up puppy pens better than I do trying to take their pictures!!!
I am hoping for advice on how to take pictures of active little puppies.

Thanks in advance for all the advice I can get,

Sandi

[sk66]

Take A LOT of pics...you'll miss many shots, but you'll eventually capture some good ones. All of the tips/rules for action photography will apply.
If you are trying for anything remotely "posed", use a tripod and a wireless remote (and an assistant or three).

[windrider86]

what kind of dog is that?
Can you tell us what kind of camera and lenses you are using? Will you be photographing the puppies indoors or out?
How were you getting photos done prior?

[jsarance]

Sorry for not giving all of this information,

I have a fujifilm finepix S1000 fd.

I take them inside with ceiling lighting. Usually on a bed, chair, or table.

[AnneWynne]

Can you give us a link to your web site? It would give us a sense of what your photos look like and what kind of problems you are having. Are you having problems with posing? Lighting? Focusing? Being more specific in your questions would also help.

[jsarance]

I put a picture on the critique section. They seem to have a yellowish tint and they do
not come out real sharp. The pups fur is really white, but it doesn't look very white in the
picture.

website is : Lil Sensations Teddy Bear Shichon Puppies Home

[Bluenoser]

Perhaps taking them outside on a nice day would work better?

[Daytonj6]

Well as the first post says, take every picture you can. let them be in their natural environment. have them in your back yard and let them play with some toys. This would keep them away from you while you can get a really nice picture.



As for the website
I am disappointed. I will keep it short and sweet. Please don't smile and nod, cause I'm only being honest...


You have errors on your front page. Typo's...
I would highly suggest fixing them, editing them, editing them again, and then reading every bit of text you have back wards word by word. (Right to left, starting from the bottom right). Also, I find it unappealing. Some of your colour selections are poorly thought. Try making it about the customer, and not what looks good to you.
And reduce the amount of text on the first page. The first should be a QUICK overview of what you have, your BEST images, and little catch phrases of quotes. Slogans and no numbers. Then have some text on other pages. But slim it down


I hope this helps,
Dayto.

[AnneWynne]

Originally Posted by Daytonj6

You have errors on your front page. Typo's...
I would highly suggest fixing them, editing them, editing them again, and then reading every bit of text you have back wards word by word. (Right to left, starting from the bottom right). Also, I find it unappealing. Some of your colour selections are poorly thought. Try making it about the customer, and not what looks good to you.
And reduce the amount of text on the first page. The first should be a QUICK overview of what you have, your BEST images, and little catch phrases of quotes. Slogans and no numbers. Then have some text on other pages. But slim it down


I hope this helps,
Dayto.

I have to agree with Dayto on this. I went to your website and what I noticed were the errors in your text. I was not "hooked" by your site (and I am a dog lover and I own hybrid dogs, so I was interested in learning more about yours).

Look at the websites of some of your competitors (not nec. same breed, but other breeders who are successful) and see what they are doing for some inspiration (don't copy them word-for-word or format-by-format, make it your own).

Frankly, you look like a hobbiest, or back yard, breeder from the impression I got from your web page. Your web page is your first impression, and if you are careless with it I would wonder if you are you careless with your breeding program.

I know you didn't come here looking for a critique of your web site, and I know my observations are frank and pretty harsh. But in this current economic climate, you have to be able to get customers to stay on your website so they can potentially become "parents" of those cute little dogs.

When you are charging $1000+ for what many see as essentially a mutt (I get that all the time about my doodles), your website should reflect that you are a high-end breeder who understands what goes into the breeding of hybrids (like the health testing and genetic health of the lines of the sires and bitches).

When you are expecting to get $1000+ for a puppy, you are selling to an upper-end market who can afford to pay that kind of price to get the dog they want. This means that they are probably more educated than the average person and may have done some research into the hybrid before starting their search. Make sure your website appeals to that kind of buyer...someone who is looking for a specific type dog and is willing to pay for it.

Good luck.
Anne

[Derivatix]

Hi there, cute puppies!

you heard already a lot about the website and I must say, I agree. But since a lot has already been said about the site I'd like to give you my oppinion (and nothing more it is) on the pictures.

- most of the pictures are too small
you show bigger pictures of puppies that have already been sold than of the ones you want to sell. In the Kitzi section I see an image of many puppies in a basket, but the image is so small I can hardly see anything.

- change camera settings to artificial light (white balance)
You need to set the correct white balance or improve the images in pp. The fur looks yellow where it should look white (I guess)

- take loooots of pictures / only present your best
it's been said before, take a loooot of pictures. Somebody mentioned taking the puppies outside, a good idea. A lot of pictures lack focus or have been taken with too low shutter speed and are blurred. Have a look at the Beatrice section, there is hardly an image in focus. Your website is your store, keep it clean and nice.

- keep the eyes in focus
you should always focus on the eyes. It is not necessary that all of the puppy is in focus, but if the eyes are out of focus it does not help the image if the tail is in focus.

- shoot with sufficent light
sufficient light will let you use higher shutter speeds (thus keep images from blurring due to movement of doggies or yourself) and also lets you use higher f-stops and therefore gives you better depth of field. If you do not have sufficient light inside, take the pupps outside.

- have a look at the sites of other puppy-sellers
it always helps to have a look how others are doing and presenting their puppies. What impression do you get looking at other sites? Step aside: what impression do you get looking at your site, considering you are the buyer, your potential customer?


Good luck!
Deri