Canon? EOS Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide

November 28, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras |

How to take Great Photos of Your Pet

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen. Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really good one.

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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List Price: ?13.99
Amazon Price: ?9.09
Used Price: ?5.48
Customer Review: A mediocre and misleading guide
At around ?9 it is not bad value for money; I just expected more. The book is of little, if any, use to an experienced photographer and I think it will confuse beginners. [I had better explain who I am - a middle aged, amateur photographer, who started with 35mm SLRs, progressed to digital cameras and have now got my first Digital SLR, the 400D]. In places, the book is confusing and incorrect and even annoying to read; which I can illustrate with three examples near the beginning. (Example 1) In the Quick Tour (pp1-10) there are four good illustrations, except that two are of small details that a beginner will not know where they are on the camera. It is not until pp14-16 of Chapter 1 that the whole camera is illustrated; but even here the back view, which has all the important buttons, is only half a page wide and too small to show what is written beside the buttons. (Example 2) The Quick Tour (p5) states that “Program AE … is a fully automatic, but shiftable mode. Shiftable means that you can CHANGE THE EXPOSURE [my capitals] by changing (or shifting) either the shutter speed or apperture …”. This is rubbish! You cannot change the exposure this way - turning the main dial changes both the shutter speed and the apperture together (not either/or) so that the exposure remains fixed. The Glossary (p246) does give the correct definition of exposure. (Example 3) The first paragraph about white-balance bracketing (p26) states that “White-balance bracketing captures three images, each with +/-3 one-stop differences in colour …”; the explanation in the Camera’s Instruction Manual is much easier to understand. All in all, a disappointing book that I would not recommend to anyone who was not already familiar with the main concepts of digital cameras; in which case they would not really need this book.
Customer Review: Good Introduction to Photography and the 350d
Being a novice to photography l wanted to get the most out of my new Canon 350d. The Michael Guncheon book seems to be out of stock so l opted for this one. The book provides an introduction to the camera, basic photography principles (ISO, Aperture & Shutter speed), lens information and how to shoot common photo scenarios, such as, night time, childern, portrait etc etc etc.. The book is easy to read and colourful. I would reccomend it as a introduction.
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Just posted! This one’s long overdue, but we’ve finally finished our in-depth review of the Olympus EVOLT E-510 digital SLR, a camera we’ve been using for a few months now. An upgrade to the E-500 and ‘big brother’ to the E-410, the E-510 offers a compelling mix of features in a compact body, including CCD-shift stabilization, 10MP LiveMOS sensor and a wide range of customization options. So does the E-510 offer as much in use as it does on paper? Find out after the link… Continue …