It’s been a year since we’ve mostly kept to staying at home for our safety. An upside to this challenging time is that we get to spend so much time with our beloved pets. And we get to see more and more of their quirks and personalities; some of them might be so cute or funny that you’d want to share them on social media. Are you capturing these great moments well?
If you want to take better photos, Sony has launched a dedicated Pawgraphy site that offers tips and tools to get some great shots. We compiled some tricks shared by pet owner and photographer Ainsley Yip to help get you some shareable and memorable photos of your doggies and kitties.
Choose a lightweight yet capable camera
Smartphones are useful for quick snaps, but you’ll miss out on high-quality shots without a good camera. Pick one that’s easy to carry around. Sony cameras—like the Alpha 7C—aren’t too bulky but offer you a lot more than your mobile device.
The Alpha 7C can shoot at 10 frames per second, allowing you to capture your dogs while they’re playing. It even has an Animal Eye Auto Focus and touch-tracking to ensure your playful cat stays in focus. You can even send the pictures you take instantly to your smartphone for easy uploading.
Know your lighting
To get your pets’ best angles, the golden hour works for them, too. When you’re outdoors, take photos early in the morning and late in the afternoon. At these times, you don’t get harsh sunlight while still getting a nice glow on your subject.
If you’re shooting indoors, use window light as your light source for a more natural feel. If you have fairy lights, use those to create interesting backgrounds for your shots.
Set the proper shutter speed
Yip said she usually keeps her shutter speed at 1/1000 or faster to freeze moments. If you’re shooting your dog while you’re at a beach, you can capture even the water droplets as they’re trying to dry off from the water.
Continuous mode is your friend
To make sure you don’t miss the action, use your camera’s continuous mode.
Use a camera with a large sensor and a large aperture lens
These will come in handy when you’re taking pictures of your beloved pets in low light. You can increase the brightness by turning up the ISO, increasing the aperture, and decreasing the shutter speed. With a large sensor, you can achieve a beautiful background blur. And if you have a large aperture lens, it gives you the flexibility to boost the brightness and control background blur.
Stoop to their level
When you shoot dogs or cats, go down to their eye level. It will make for better composition of your photos.
Follow their lead
Your pets, especially dogs, can get excited. Follow their lead. Move and run around with them to make sure you don’t miss photo-worthy moments.
Use the objects around them
If your cat is chilling at home, use the household objects around them as foreground and background to get more interesting pictures.
Bribe them with toys and treats
Okay, bribe is a harsh word. But it will work to your advantage to have their favorite toys and treats ready to hold their attention.
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