The gear I used is below - of course understanding light and how to work with it is more important than any particular gear: Check out my light course at mattgranger.com/ocf The light: geni.us/pJY3wR The light modifier: bhpho.to/2GMPms1 The painted backgrounds I use: geni.us/GravityBG And the Sony camera I showed was the R3: geni.us/664T
Spent many years as senior editor of CAT FANCY and DOG FANCY magazines, at the time the most widely read dog and cat magazines in the world. Lots of good tips here. From many studio and location shoots I would also suggest: *Have at least one assistant, preferably more *Use constant lighting instead of flash, or as you mention go outdoors *Depending on the pet you may need to spend 20 minutes getting them comfortable with the setting before even trying to shoot. Patience will pay off. *If you want the "smiling'' dog portrait take the dog for a brisk walk before shooting so they have that open mouth grin *Rescuers, including Jackson Galaxy, use meat-flavored baby food as super treats to get the attention of especially challenging cats (Will Ferrell told me he had his face covered with baby food to shoot dog scenes for both Anchorman movies when Baxter was giving him "kisses.") *Puppies and kittens often respond best to toys, not food. Give them time to burn off energy and you will get some awesome sleeping puppy or kitten photos *Record weird sounds like squirrels chirping or odd noises on your cell phone and have an assistant replay those just above camera level. You will get not just the pet's attention but also the "tilted head'' what the hell is that? look. Enjoy the videos. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing these great tips. I'll keep them in mind when shooting my dog. Do you have Any tips for birds though? My aunt wanted me to photograph her parrot and I am just wondering if most of these tips still apply,or are there different techniques for different animals.
I have photographed my aunt with her macaw, Dude, who is usually perched on her shoulder or nearby. I usually position her near a window for good lighting rather than using a flash. If the parrot is in a cage you would want to get really close and have a minimal depth of field to eliminate the cage wiring from the shot, just like you might do in a zoo with fencing. Good luck.@@TheJudge064
Great advice! The only thing i would add to this advice is a remote trigger if an assistant is unavailable. You won't know exactly what you are getting however you should have a fair idea and it makes things much more manageable when your by yourself.
As an owner of a black cat, I also should say it helps to shoot manual and to not trust spot metering for those quick "aww cute" shots without flash. I believe the only shots that ever come out from my cat ninja is where I shot manually or used flash. My other cat, who has a cream coat isn't a problem. Now if I can teach them that the seamless paper is not fun to run under and play chase, or the popup backdrop is not for climbing....
I feel your pain, mate. As soon as I've set up a shoot, I've got the whole thing wrinkle- and dander-free and they come tearing through the room. Every. Single. Time. Clients tend to think they're cute though, so that's one bonus...
Using the right metering mode and exposure compensation where needed, if available, works like a charm in other modes. And is less fuss than manual when working with varied light.
I do use flash instead of continuous light. I can get a faster shutter speed which is essential. Flash doesn't bother the animals. I shoot at the local shelter and I've not had any animals scared of the flash. The noise of the paper backdrop can make them more nervous. When they move around and cause the paper to make a noise it can bother them. I prefer to use a fabric backdrop. For small animals such as cats put them up on a table. It's always good to have an assist from the handlers and or pet owner. I use treats but noise makers such as squeakers work well for both dogs and cats. Just make sure you change up as they will get used to the noise. Those wand cat toys not only work for cats but work well for dogs too. You are correct. The key is to have lots of patience and take lots of shots. Sometimes you have to wait out the dog or cat. You may have to wait a bit for them to relax and get used to the equipment. I get my best shots when the dog or cat gets relaxed. Keep at their level. Top down shots are not good unless they are looking straight up at you. It's always best if they've been fed but not too much so you can use treats. Make sure they have relieved themselves and worked out excess energy before you do a session . Matt, thank you for this video!!!
I can't stress how much patience is a virtue in this! Especially with the more skittish animals, cat or dog. But for those, if they aren't your pet, my tip is to spend time with them individually both with and without your gear prior to shooting. This way they get to know who you are, and what your gear is if they aren't used to being photographed. My part feral cat hates cameras and other things associated with photography - so no flashes and no strobes or reflectors either - I improvised this though with flooding as much light as I could into the scene and just adjusting the ISO to get the proper exposure.
Whether they qualify as "portraits" or not, I prefer working more along the lines of candid or street photography - studying my subject, being patient and looking for opportunities to capture an image when the pet is doing something typical. And then perhaps applying some of the skills that birders bring to the table. And the gear they might use. I know it's anathema to some photographers, but i generally shoot pet shots without a tripod and using a limited range, quality zoom. If the pet's owner or a person the pet is friendly with is available, the pet will often look for attention and slow down a bit, so you can move in with a decent prime, instead. Plain backgrounds are out of the question, normally, if you capture the pet that way - but you get the pet in its natural surroundings, and with sensible use of DoF, bokeh etc you still an end up with a very suitable background. The sony cam is a great suggestion - I noticed the other day that Nikon's mirrorless cams (was it both? - or just the Z7?) are getting a firmware upgrade to give them focus on the eyes - shooting bursts (if the pet is moving) helps too
Love this, Matt. I'm always inspired by how much thought and planning you put into you videos. You inspired me to up the content on my UA-cam channel. Thank you 👍
Hey, Matt thanks for doing video. Love what you do and I love The business of Photography.. It helped me out a great deal when I first started.. With cats, I have found that it almost never misses to use a heating pad.. give it a try :-)
Thanks for the tip Edward! I guess my laptop keyboard does that job too :) Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts on Business of Photography - so glad it helped.
I wish my dogs were this easy to get pictures of. One cares about as little as a cat, but always moves his head around. The other runs straight toward you the second you try to get her attention or bend down to take a shot. Doesn't matter if it's where they like to sleep or not.
always my biggest problem and basic question.....why do i often get the zombie eye look with flash ? especially when it's on axis....and even when the pupils are NOT dilated ?? .... obvious you didn't seem to think this is a problem worth mentioning - i get it with dogs too, but more so with cats since they can reflect even more light in their eyes TIA and examples pleeese :-)
Shooting my dog, confused the camera (A7III) sensor and strange artifacts appeared, they were like short vertical lines perpendicular to the the dog's hair lining. I tried shooting other object and didn't see those artifacts anywhere, only except when shooting the dog.
My girl is violent like Tyson, too, so the only time I can shoot her is when she decides it's OK. The only time she's in my studio is when she's playing 'chase' around my backdrop or flag. My boy Big Man is very curious; I think he likes the sound of Velcro so he's always hanging about when I'm setting up. He is not a climbing cat thought - he likes the floor - so I set the light low and nearly horizontal and he'll usually come and hang out underneath it while I sit with the camera on the floor.
never use flash with pets in a studio environment, always use continues lighting. Flash can hurt their eyes and may spook them too. Also cats respond more to movement and dogs to treats.
Hi Matt, thanks for a great video! I have a question about photographing a pet with a white fur. Is it just me or it's more difficult? I can do nice portraits, but any actions shots turn out not sharp. I use the shutter speed of at least 1/500 sec, tried on very sunny days so could get a good exposure ( using around 8 f), however, still the shots aren't as sharp. I'm using Fuji xt-1 with 35mm f 1.2 lens. What am I missing for a sharp shot?
I would go a lot faster than 1/500 second for photographing a running dog. Remember, they move a lot faster than we do, so I'd go for at least 1/1600 or 1/2000 second as a minimum to freeze the action. If you have enough light, it wouldn't hurt to go faster. I recently photographed my neighbor's terrier mix (probably about 12 pounds) running with a ball at 1/2500 second, and while most of her body was sharp, there was just a little bit of motion blur on her paws since they were moving faster than the rest of her body. Above the wrist joint, everything was sharp. So if you want to completely freeze the action of the whole dog, you're going to have to use a faster shutter speed. Also, put your camera in manual mode or use your exposure compensation to make sure you're exposing for your pet's fur and not the background.
The only tip ya need- get the Sony with anime eye Ef. JK, always enjoy your videos man. But I feel people on the pet photography, super hard to get them to do what youd like
The gear I used is below - of course understanding light and how to work with it is more important than any particular gear:
Check out my light course at mattgranger.com/ocf
The light: geni.us/pJY3wR
The light modifier: bhpho.to/2GMPms1
The painted backgrounds I use: geni.us/GravityBG
And the Sony camera I showed was the R3: geni.us/664T
Good tips!!! like!!!
Spent many years as senior editor of CAT FANCY and DOG FANCY magazines, at the time the most widely read dog and cat magazines in the world. Lots of good tips here. From many studio and location shoots I would also suggest:
*Have at least one assistant, preferably more
*Use constant lighting instead of flash, or as you mention go outdoors
*Depending on the pet you may need to spend 20 minutes getting them comfortable with the setting before even trying to shoot. Patience will pay off.
*If you want the "smiling'' dog portrait take the dog for a brisk walk before shooting so they have that open mouth grin
*Rescuers, including Jackson Galaxy, use meat-flavored baby food as super treats to get the attention of especially challenging cats (Will Ferrell told me he had his face covered with baby food to shoot dog scenes for both Anchorman movies when Baxter was giving him "kisses.")
*Puppies and kittens often respond best to toys, not food. Give them time to burn off energy and you will get some awesome sleeping puppy or kitten photos
*Record weird sounds like squirrels chirping or odd noises on your cell phone and have an assistant replay those just above camera level. You will get not just the pet's attention but also the "tilted head'' what the hell is that? look.
Enjoy the videos. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for sharing these great tips. I'll keep them in mind when shooting my dog. Do you have Any tips for birds though? My aunt wanted me to photograph her parrot and I am just wondering if most of these tips still apply,or are there different techniques for different animals.
Whoa... You could charge for that advice 😉
I have photographed my aunt with her macaw, Dude, who is usually perched on her shoulder or nearby. I usually position her near a window for good lighting rather than using a flash. If the parrot is in a cage you would want to get really close and have a minimal depth of field to eliminate the cage wiring from the shot, just like you might do in a zoo with fencing. Good luck.@@TheJudge064
@@evslone Thank you so much. I really appreciate it! :)
Great advice! The only thing i would add to this advice is a remote trigger if an assistant is unavailable. You won't know exactly what you are getting however you should have a fair idea and it makes things much more manageable when your by yourself.
Eye contact can be difficult if you have a blind cat. I like some of the "mistake" shots too, gives you a feeling for the character of the cat.
As an owner of a black cat, I also should say it helps to shoot manual and to not trust spot metering for those quick "aww cute" shots without flash. I believe the only shots that ever come out from my cat ninja is where I shot manually or used flash. My other cat, who has a cream coat isn't a problem. Now if I can teach them that the seamless paper is not fun to run under and play chase, or the popup backdrop is not for climbing....
I feel your pain, mate. As soon as I've set up a shoot, I've got the whole thing wrinkle- and dander-free and they come tearing through the room. Every. Single. Time.
Clients tend to think they're cute though, so that's one bonus...
Using the right metering mode and exposure compensation where needed, if available, works like a charm in other modes. And is less fuss than manual when working with varied light.
Black animals can be a bit difficult, but they are not impossible to photograph by any means.
Loki and Tyson are just too awesome. Love these tips! Thanks for sharing, Matt.
No animals were harmed in the making of this video......but one human was. 😋
Pretty common... she has drawn blood more than once
Tyson's strategy: show Loki a series of left jabs before nailing Matt with a right hook.
I do use flash instead of continuous light. I can get a faster shutter speed which is essential. Flash doesn't bother the animals. I shoot at the local shelter and I've not had any animals scared of the flash. The noise of the paper backdrop can make them more nervous. When they move around and cause the paper to make a noise it can bother them. I prefer to use a fabric backdrop. For small animals such as cats put them up on a table. It's always good to have an assist from the handlers and or pet owner. I use treats but noise makers such as squeakers work well for both dogs and cats. Just make sure you change up as they will get used to the noise. Those wand cat toys not only work for cats but work well for dogs too. You are correct. The key is to have lots of patience and take lots of shots. Sometimes you have to wait out the dog or cat. You may have to wait a bit for them to relax and get used to the equipment. I get my best shots when the dog or cat gets relaxed. Keep at their level. Top down shots are not good unless they are looking straight up at you. It's always best if they've been fed but not too much so you can use treats. Make sure they have relieved themselves and worked out excess energy before you do a session .
Matt, thank you for this video!!!
Great tips. Thank u so much. Very lively video too. I was laughing almost the whole time while learning. God bless u much
For cat I always want big circle eye, so I lower the light of the room, I don't use full power flash to avoid blinding them too much
I can't stress how much patience is a virtue in this! Especially with the more skittish animals, cat or dog. But for those, if they aren't your pet, my tip is to spend time with them individually both with and without your gear prior to shooting. This way they get to know who you are, and what your gear is if they aren't used to being photographed. My part feral cat hates cameras and other things associated with photography - so no flashes and no strobes or reflectors either - I improvised this though with flooding as much light as I could into the scene and just adjusting the ISO to get the proper exposure.
Tip #7: Hang out with temple cats and fellow cat lovers in temples all around the world. Fun stuff. Loved the keeper shots!
Where shall we go stalk kitties together next.... how about Morocco 2020?
@@mattgranger Get it set up and let's see if our calendars line up!
Whether they qualify as "portraits" or not, I prefer working more along the lines of candid or street photography - studying my subject, being patient and looking for opportunities to capture an image when the pet is doing something typical.
And then perhaps applying some of the skills that birders bring to the table. And the gear they might use.
I know it's anathema to some photographers, but i generally shoot pet shots without a tripod and using a limited range, quality zoom. If the pet's owner or a person the pet is friendly with is available, the pet will often look for attention and slow down a bit, so you can move in with a decent prime, instead.
Plain backgrounds are out of the question, normally, if you capture the pet that way - but you get the pet in its natural surroundings, and with sensible use of DoF, bokeh etc you still an end up with a very suitable background.
The sony cam is a great suggestion - I noticed the other day that Nikon's mirrorless cams (was it both? - or just the Z7?) are getting a firmware upgrade to give them focus on the eyes - shooting bursts (if the pet is moving) helps too
Hilarious that the cats kept fighting!! hahahaha That tabby looks almost EXACTLY like my tabby. LOVE HER SO MUCH
gonna try.. nice idea
Love this, Matt. I'm always inspired by how much thought and planning you put into you videos. You inspired me to up the content on my UA-cam channel. Thank you 👍
Thanks for the tips! I would adopt Mabel in a blink.
I been waiting for this for to long!
Great tips! Could you also make one on post processing for pet photos?
Great show, thank you.
Animals are like kids in many ways. One is that, it seems they never want to perform when you want them to.
Cats are the best. Most of the time they just tolerate us humans at best. Other than that I think they just hold us in contempt.
Very good. I'm going to give this a go!
Some really cute photos there Matt. Thanks for the tips. Will have to try with my daughters catties.
Do you use any composition rules beside having the cat in fill the frame
So excellent your cat's pictures :)))))))))))) I'm also taking many pictures of my cats and dogs, but yours are so stunning and so cute
Hey, Matt thanks for doing video. Love what you do and I love The business of Photography.. It helped me out a great deal when I first started.. With cats, I have found that it almost never misses to use a heating pad.. give it a try :-)
Thanks for the tip Edward! I guess my laptop keyboard does that job too :) Also, thanks for sharing your thoughts on Business of Photography - so glad it helped.
@@mattgranger LOL, my keyboard functions the same way.. :-D
Did you discuss what types of lenses you find best for bets?
Funny and helpful, great video!
Your kitties are gorgeous...and great pictures too! Thank u for the tips : )
Are you excited with the Zeiss Otus 100mm f/1.4?
I wish my dogs were this easy to get pictures of. One cares about as little as a cat, but always moves his head around. The other runs straight toward you the second you try to get her attention or bend down to take a shot. Doesn't matter if it's where they like to sleep or not.
What type of tripod and ballhead would you suggest?
6:32 is my favorite shot! XD
What exact shutter speeds do you typically run for cats?
Hi, can you help me?
Recommended background color for taking cat photos.
For cats of dark and light colors.
7:08 lol
always my biggest problem and basic question.....why do i often get the zombie eye look with flash ? especially when it's on axis....and even when the pupils are NOT dilated ??
.... obvious you didn't seem to think this is a problem worth mentioning
- i get it with dogs too, but more so with cats since they can reflect even more light in their eyes
TIA and examples pleeese :-)
nice tips
Shooting my dog, confused the camera (A7III) sensor and strange artifacts appeared, they were like short vertical lines perpendicular to the the dog's hair lining. I tried shooting other object and didn't see those artifacts anywhere, only except when shooting the dog.
Maybe you've got a blink-dog?
7.19 Tyson swag
My girl is violent like Tyson, too, so the only time I can shoot her is when she decides it's OK. The only time she's in my studio is when she's playing 'chase' around my backdrop or flag.
My boy Big Man is very curious; I think he likes the sound of Velcro so he's always hanging about when I'm setting up. He is not a climbing cat thought - he likes the floor - so I set the light low and nearly horizontal and he'll usually come and hang out underneath it while I sit with the camera on the floor.
never use flash with pets in a studio environment, always use continues lighting. Flash can hurt their eyes and may spook them too. Also cats respond more to movement and dogs to treats.
Hi Matt, thanks for a great video!
I have a question about photographing a pet with a white fur. Is it just me or it's more difficult? I can do nice portraits, but any actions shots turn out not sharp. I use the shutter speed of at least 1/500 sec, tried on very sunny days so could get a good exposure ( using around 8 f), however, still the shots aren't as sharp. I'm using Fuji xt-1 with 35mm f 1.2 lens. What am I missing for a sharp shot?
I would go a lot faster than 1/500 second for photographing a running dog. Remember, they move a lot faster than we do, so I'd go for at least 1/1600 or 1/2000 second as a minimum to freeze the action. If you have enough light, it wouldn't hurt to go faster. I recently photographed my neighbor's terrier mix (probably about 12 pounds) running with a ball at 1/2500 second, and while most of her body was sharp, there was just a little bit of motion blur on her paws since they were moving faster than the rest of her body. Above the wrist joint, everything was sharp. So if you want to completely freeze the action of the whole dog, you're going to have to use a faster shutter speed. Also, put your camera in manual mode or use your exposure compensation to make sure you're exposing for your pet's fur and not the background.
@@keithholland9401 Thanks a lot, Keith. I'm gonna try to shoot with the higher shutter speed this weekend. Appreciate your advice!
hi how to take pet photos at night without using flash out doors
At least Tyson didn't bite your ear. Thanks for the tips.
🤣🤣🤣
XD
Love cats as well, and try to shoot them as many as possible. especially when its raining outside XD
Cats are tricky I find have camera ready to shoot hide and wait bit simular to wildlife photography house cat hide useful aka birds
Sit on the floor for good dog photos.
..doin the things cats do..
The only tip ya need- get the Sony with anime eye Ef. JK, always enjoy your videos man. But I feel people on the pet photography, super hard to get them to do what youd like