Your Photos On Canvas

You don't have to be an experienced photographer to take first class photographs of your pets or other domestic animals you come across. With the sophistication of even low priced digital cameras and the easy-to-follow instructions for their use, it means you can capture a special moment in the life of a beloved pet or other animal and create a memory for yourself and your family.

With minimum equipment and some forethought you can get great results, especially if you are planning to create a portrait of your pet by having a print of the photo on canvas to be framed and hung in your home.

Here are a few tips for taking successful pet photographs:

• Take photographs of your pet's natural activities. Don't set up an artificial situation and try to force your dog or cat to cooperate. Even if you have a very obedient pet, a stilted or over posed photograph will not reflect your animal's natural charm.
• Use props and snacks to focus your pet's attention. A photo session before meal time usually means a more alert pet.unless you're after a shot of a sleepy or yawning puppy settling down for a nap.
• Get down to your pet's eye level and take time to allow your pet to get used to you being "close up and personal" before you introduce the camera, extra lights or props.
• Keep picture taking sessions short, with frequent breaks to play or change backgrounds or props.
• Keep the tone of your voice low and as natural as possible. Avoid giving orders while snapping the pictures. It's more effective to have someone else direct your pet if necessary so you can concentrate on capturing an interesting angle.
• Familiarize yourself with your camera's closest focusing distance and fill the LDC display with your subject. Get in close or use your zoom to get real portrait shots without background distractions.
• If your pet is very active, then take action shots. Use high speed digital settings or fast film (check the camera's manual for options to take multiple shots also) and wait for that high jump or special trick. Sometimes focusing on one spot and waiting for your pet to run past will earn you a great action shot.
• Take lots of pictures. Professional photographers always take scores of shots from many angles in order to get the perfect shot. Try to get a rhythm going and just keep shooting. One of the best features of modern digital cameras is that you can take as many as you want and delete the duds later. Try the same angles on various camera settings if you are unsure of the lighting, or use the automatic setting and vary close ups with long shots.

Usually pet photos are taken opportunistically with hopes for a lucky shot. Or a lucky pet shot taken during a family photo session becomes the one chosen to be cropped and enhanced and then enlarged and printed on canvas to be framed.

Next time, why not aim for a special pet portrait idea by planning ahead? The results can be amazing.