Photographing animals

[TenthDoctor]

I'm doing a photography course right now, as part of my media degree; and as our final assignment due in May, we have to do a portfolio of ten pictures. I'm thinking of photographing my cat, he's a good subject as he likes to pose and easy to work with.

See example here: http://murdoch.usshorizon.org/course...-1023-full.jpg

My question would be, for those of you who've done animal photography, any tips? tricks? words of advise or inspiration? (any famous photographers who appealed to you, etc)

Any help, tips, and all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

[BabetteKD]

My main tip would be work with a partner. I always employ my little brother for animal shots. Simetimes he is there to keep the animal from looking off to the side when I need it looking at me, or to get the dog to a trick, or to be a subject with the dog. Working with animals alone is hard, especially if you need it to stay still and it would rather go see what the noise in the other room was.

I'd say to also take the pitures in a well lit area. Red eye in dogs is irritating to deal with, but it's worse for me if it happens in cats because they have a wider range of eye colors and their pupils are of a different shape.

[OsmosisStudios]

Treats. And TONS of them.

I know my dog will sit pretty for a single kibble, so its not like im fattening her up like a holiday ham.

[TenthDoctor]

I've done a couple of test shots, with my mom helping out.




I quite like this shot, even if it's a little over exposed and too bright. that can be fixed in photoshop.







My cat's actually very decent to photograph, he's not too fussy, unless he doesn't feel like being photographed, then he just walks off or hides under a pillow.

But, I'm not sure how the pros do it.

Are there any famous photographers who specialize in photographing animals? A google search brings up a lot of studious that specialize in animal photography, but for my portfolio proposal, they want 'famous photographers' names and stuff that I might get inspired by.

I got one so far, Rachael Hale, I've got a couple of her gift books, but the photos she does, are mostly against one color background, I don't actually have a studio to play around with. and cant' really bring my cat to uni to photograph there.

[lisa]

Not sure how famous he is but this guys good at animal photography: Ben Hall http://www.benhallphotography.com/ this goes straight to his gallerys http://www.benhallphotography.com/gallery.htm i know im impressed with his work and when i have the money and time im going to a local photography place where he offers a few days out taking pics!

[TenthDoctor]

Oh thanks! I took a quick look, definitely quite a few breathtaking pictures! I'll ask my photography instructor tomorrow if Ben Hall's qualified as "famous", I don't know what they're looking for in terms of what qualifies a photographer as famous.

Thanks for the link!

[inkista]

I do the zoo thing a lot, and for me it mostly comes down to forgetting I'm taking a picture of an animal and just taking a portrait of an individual. Getting an expression, an attitude, or an action is what will make or break the shot. Does the personality, as it were, of the individual come through?

Where the fact that it's an animal makes a difference is that you're more limited in communicating with your subject. So you have to have patience and learn how to stalk in a friendly manner that doesn't make your subject nervous or upset. Reading and projecting body language is part of it. But overall, patience. If you're interested in your subject, it generally won't take them long to do something photoworthy. Be ready, but also learn to sit still for a while.

Technique-wise, I mostly shoot with primes, and go for selective focus and getting the eyes sharp, just as I would for any other portrait.

I get my best shots at the zoo when I'm willing to hang around an enclosure for 15-30 minutes. Most folks want what they want right now. So they go home with a camera full of very boring shots of exotic animals when they go to the zoo. I'm willing to wait to get a shot I like with the light and background I want, on their schedule.



And, obviously, if you're going to do wildlife, this all gets exaggerated even more (plus, y'know, the necessity for long lenses). At the zoo, 15-30 minutes is enough. Out in the backcanyons, it can be months before you're there on the spot.



Then again, some of them are just hams.

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[lisa]

how did you get on with this? Found someone else in a mag the other day if you wanna know them?

[Tranquilize_Er]

I like the last two pictures you took of your cat. I think I like them the most because they dont look as "staged" as the first two. I like taking pitures of animals as well, and I agree, its not the easiest thing in the world.

[rbmartiniv]

Originally Posted by TenthDoctor

I'm doing a photography course right now, as part of my media degree; and as our final assignment due in May, we have to do a portfolio of ten pictures. I'm thinking of photographing my cat, he's a good subject as he likes to pose and easy to work with.

See example here: http://murdoch.usshorizon.org/course...-1023-full.jpg

My question would be, for those of you who've done animal photography, any tips? tricks? words of advise or inspiration? (any famous photographers who appealed to you, etc)

Any help, tips, and all would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Try using a little catnip for action shots and crazy expressions.