Thursday, November 11, 2010

Photographing Your Pet ...... tips & images!

I'm so excited to share MY new addition to our family. This is our new puppy Cooper!!! He is our adorable little golden retriever. He's just over two months old and growing so quickly every day. My assistant Amber and her fiance came over to meet him days after he came home and asked if I've been taking insane amounts of photos of him..........hmm, "not really. I mean mostly with my phone camera" was my response, which shocked both of us! With sooooo much time spent training him, creating that lovin g and safe connection with him, and trying to get sleep didn't leave a lot of time to sit and take some really great pictures.

Being a professional photographer, I was like "whoa! If I do this for a living and I'm not making time to capture him at these amazing younger stages, I'm SURE that others forget also!". So
in my effort to help all of you capture and document all of the amazing stages of YOUR 4 legged family members, I've included tips for you in the article below that I personally used with Cooper! Enjoy and plus you get to look at some more adorable images of my gorgeous little buddy that I've captured during his puppy stages before they're gone. ;)

Our pets tend to move quick, lose focus easily, and grow fast. So its important to make sure you enjoy taking photos of your pet and not stress about the shots your taking. Get what you can and just keep snapping away!

Don't erase images on your camera because once you download your photos to the computer you might really like that picture! Plus, you want to use that time to get the shots, not worry about editing since that can be done in the computer.

Once again, don't forget to take time out from training and everyday routines to make sure you
capture those special moments your loved ones create with you......

Tip #1-Size Matters! ;)
Make sure that you record the size of your new addition to the family as they grow because they grow fast! You can also compare their sizes from when you first brought them home to when they're older and create a cool collage. This photo of his head in the bowl is a photo that I can take later when he's larger and compare his size. It's great to use props/objects that help you compare how small they were!

Tip #2-Favorite Spots
It's also important to document their favorite spots helping you record those memories that can help you layout a story of their early years. Cooper LOVES the kitchen, not sure why but I spend a LOT more time in there sitting on the floor with him. LOL! This is one of his favorite spots where he feels safe and it helps document how small he is since he fits UNDER the cupboards. awww! :)
another favorite spot of his! :o)

Tip #3-What Perspective?
Make sure that you capture different angles when you're taking your photos; rather than just standing and looking down at them....mix it up! I was on the ground at his level for this image, but see on the blog that it also is very adorable to have them looking up at you for other images. Play around and have fun so your images don't all look the same.
Here's
a different perspective/angle - remembering how cute they are looking up at you as a pup! :o)
Play around with your composition as well! Love this one where he's in the upper corner and there's a lot of our wood floor showing. Looks so different from the other images!

Tip #4- Funny quirks!
It's really fun to capture their quirks that they will grow out of so you can remember the more humorous parts of your pets younger years; aside from their messes and chewing disasters. When Cooper gets so excited he doesn't know what to do with himself and his outlet is chewing on his tail. Capture their different phases, just as you would your children!

Tip #5- Get in the photo!
It's so important to make sure that you get photos of yourself with your pet too! It's easy to capture your pet with others and it's really cute to have tons of pictures of your pet by himself, but get assistance from a spouse or friend to capture your special connection with them by you being in the image too! See below for a few more sweet images of our time together.

Tip #6- Capture the Love!
Enlist help... Your new pet is already attatched to you the moment you bring them home so they gravitate to you which can make it difficult to take their photo. It makes it easier if you have someone hold them so that you can get that special image of the way they look at you. It makes it easier to capture that look of love and trust that they feel for you.

Tip #7- Keep ANY camera ready!
Keep your camera handy even if it's your phone! You don't know when the perfect photo opportunity might occur so its good to be prepared. It's also good to make sure that you make time each month (at least) or every other week to keep taking photos of them growing and changing. Before you know it they will no longer be cute little puppies, but soon they will be beautiful dogs. I have to make sure I keep taking photos of Cooper because there's a possibility he'll be full grown at 9 months!!! That's definitely not a long window to document his size so keep taking as many photos as you can!!
(p.s. this one was taken with my iphone!)


*More images of the two of us that I had taken*




November's Image of The Month


Happy November! :o)

We're kicking off the month of Thanksgiving by counting our blessings and creating the list of what we're thankful for!!! At the top of that list of course.....family! And for a lot of us, pets are a big part of our family. Which is exactly why I chose Charlie for my image of the month. This is a long time coming because his parents are good friends of mine who hired me a while ago to capture them and they've been petitioning for a LONG time to get Charlie as one of the 'Images Of The Months'. I can just hear how excited they are by this surprise!! :D

Charlie's a very lucky pup because I know how much he is loved and how thankful his owners are to have him in their family now. Even though he can't speak, I'm sure he shows his owners how thankful he is in return that they chose him. It's these special bonds that are so important to document when it comes to family images. Telling stories through the images so that we will always remember!!