While traditional portraits include just the pet in the image with the pet looking straight at the photographer, this often leads to a boring image. Taking a few moments to think about your pet's personality can make all the difference in your images.
The most important thing you can do to capture you pet's personality is work on his/her time. If your pet will only sit still for a moment before running off to play then have everything ready before you bring your pet to the photo area. If your pet needs time to calm down when brought into a new situation, be prepared to give your pet the time he/she needs to relax.
If your pet is an outdoor only pet, be sure to select a place with an uncluttered background. Also, the ability to control how far your pet can roam is helpful. If your pet is an indoor pet then select an area where you have a pleasing background or can put up a
Is your cat aloof and above it all? Does your ferret always steal your car keys? Does your dog like soda? Incorporate your pet's personality into the props and poses you choose. Scatter keys all around your ferret for the photo. Put a can of soda next to your dog. Have your large dog stand up and your tiny dog sit underneath his/her belly to show the size difference. You can't expect a pet to understand when you say something like, "lift your chin a little". However, you can get their attention with a favorite toy or by calling their name. If you can recruit a second person to help keep the pet's attention, your job will be considerably easier as well.
|
