Pet Photography & Lights

I don't know about you all but I've taken alot of pictures of my pets that just weren't that great. Sure, when I took the shot it looked like it was going to be great..but..it needed something. Most often that something is more light..or a different type light. Until last year when I took a photography class I didn't think that much about light, or composition either for that matter. Now, before I shoot anything I look all around me for things that could show up unwanted in the picture. I check out the types of light around me. If I'm indoors I want to see if the light is fluorescent or tungsten. Huge difference there. Fluorescent lighting tends to lend a bluish cast to the subject, whereas tungsten creates an orange cast. So, first off I adjust the White Balance of my camera for the type of lighting. When outside you can adjust it for direct sun or shade. Most of my pet photography is done indoors so there are less distractions. I've found that even with a flash my pictures don't really look that great. A few months ago I purchased a set of professional lights with umbrellas. I place one light to the side of the subject at about 45 degrees. The other light is usually beside me and the camera. It is unbelievable the difference in my pictures now. There are less shadows in the face of the subject & the side lighting really helps to accentuate the coat of an animal. Now my pictures really pop! If you can't afford extra lights you might try a table lamp without the shade. Place it at a 45 degree angle and see if it doesn't really help your photograph. I think you will be amazed at the difference.

Printing Those Great Pictures

Alright, so you are trying out your new camera you got for Christmas. You took about 20 pictures and found about 6 that you really like. So, now what. The beauty of digital photography is that you can put all 20 of those pictures onto a CD if you like and that will only cost you a quarter. Or, you could delete 14 and just put 6 onto a CD. Another great thing about digital is that you can put close to 400 pictures onto one cd. So, if you have a new puppy and a new camera you can really go crazy and put 400 pictures on that one cd. Wow!
Let's say you want to print some of those pictures and one is so great that you want to enlarge it to an 8 x10. Some people would just run over to their Walmart, Cosco or whatever and do the one hour photo. That would be the quickest way, but if you really want "Nice" looking pictures with great color saturation, that's not the place to go. Either a photo store where they print professionally or one of the great online sites, Shutterfly, Winkflash and Snapfish are some of the ones I use alot. They print great quality photographs and each will give you the first 20 prints free. They also have great prices for enlargements. The choice is yours and it's a personal thing. If you order online it takes approximatley 3 days to get your pictures back. That works for me. They also have many options to choose from such as making your own cards for birthdays, Valentines, etc. You can make photo mugs, mousepads, and shirts. YOu can get creative and make all kinds of collages with your photos. So, now you see there are alot of options to you for processing of those great pet photographs.