Sit, Stay & Smile for Better Pet Pics

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LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED – PART I

 Who am I?  My work  Slide Show

  Introduce yourself  Cameras (whatchya

got)  Skill levels  Goals

Disclaimer What are you doing here?

SOME OF THOSE CRAZY CAMERA TERMS

 Feel free to interrupt me with questions!

(It will be sooooo entertaining to watch me try to remember my place in the presentation. )

 Depth of Field – how much is in focus

 Composition – placement or arrangement of items (the stuff in your shot)

 Types of cameras   Point & Shoot   SLR/DSLR – single lens

reflex (can you take off the lens)

  Phone(s)   Hipstamatic   Best Camera

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II LIGHT – IT’S ALL ABOUT LIGHT

 Light 2 kinds: Artificial or Natural – each has its place

  Artificial Light – any light that isn’t sunlight. It can be amazing!! – in a pro studio or in your home.

  I do some studio & some natural.

  You can make your own little studio at home. Use a lamp or get a video light.

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II DEMON EYE

  On Camera Flash – use with extreme caution!!

  Almost every camera comes with a flash that ironically will ruin many of your images.

  Direct, harsh overpowering light.

  Demon eyes on pets – it’s an eyeball thing.

  Hard to avoid, shoot at an angle but best solution is turn off your flash.

  (I did not take this photo)

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II NATURAL LIGHT - OUTSIDE

  Natural light is sunlight.

  Best sunlight ever you can get is filtered somehow like on a cloudy day.

  Bright sunny light is not as good.

  Think about leashes and safety if outside.

NATURAL LIGHT – INDOORS

NATURAL LIGHT – INDOORS

Look for the light in the subjects eyes. Always makes your photos better.

Catch Lights – the eyes have it!

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II COMPOSITION & DEPTH OF FIELD

  What’s in your frame.   Cut the clutter.   The Rule of Thirds.

  (again, I did not take this photo)

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II COMPOSITION & DEPTH OF FIELD

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II PET POSING (HA, HA, HA!)

 Catch Them in Action  You move to vary the camera angle  Get down to their level  Act like an idiot and/or call of the wild

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 Cats

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 Black dogs with a smooth coat

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 Crazy puppies that won’t sit still for a second!

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 The frightened or shy pet.

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 The frightened or shy pet.

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 The Ultimate Challenge! Multiples!

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II HOW TO’S FOR THE TOUGHEST SUBJECTS

 Parents of Human Childen (but that is another workshop)

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II WHERE TO SHOOT – YOUR BEST BETS

  Try your garage.   An window with soft

light streaming in.   An open door.   Under a tree with

some shade.   On concrete or

anywhere where you’ll get good reflected light.

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II WHERE TO SHOOT – YOUR BEST BETS (without buying a bunch of equipment)

  The beach at about an hour before sunset.

THE GOOD STUFF – PART II WHERE TO SHOOT – YOUR BEST BETS (without buying a bunch of equipment)

On concrete or anywhere where you’ll get good reflected light.

THE WRAP UP– PART III PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

  Have a shooting plan.

  Have someone help you. A good pet wrangler is worth their weight in gold!

THE WRAP UP– PART III PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

  Find good light.   Consider your

composition. Think about the arrangement of items in your frame.

  Capture emotion.

  Pose your pet (ha, ha, ha) Practice changing your angle.

THE WRAP UP– PART III PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

  Keep a scrapbook of shots you like. It’s fun and sort of like recycling

  Shoot a lot . . . Digital makes it easy to do this.

Questions?

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Thank you for supporting rescue!!

This presentation was created to train volunteers who generously donate their time to help photograph pets in foster care or in shelters. Contact Lisa with any questions Or if you need additional assistance.

Lisa has a studio in Yorba Linda, CA and regularly photographs rescue pets pro bono. She also does private sessions for clients, businesses, and editorial.

www.lisascarsi .com (714) 255-1382 info@lisascarsi.com All images and text copyright 2011 Lisa Scarsi Photography (except that one image with the demon eye)

Permission is granted to use this presentation to train people who photograph rescue pets in an effort to help more shelter/rescue pets find forever homes.