Pet Photography Tip – by Myrtle Beach Photography

I decided to write about pets because it seems that every time I open my Facebook, there are hundreds of photos of friends pictures of their pets. Taking pictures of your 4 legged family members is not always easy. Pets, unlike humans, do not understand what we are trying to do and won’t just pose for the camera! Here are some tips that will help you help you get the most of your pet photography:

1. Take the Images Where Your Pet Feels Most Comfortable

Go to your pet in his/her natural environment. It is very important that you pet feels comfortable and at ease, so instead of forcing him to come to you go to him. The best tip is to get down to his level. Show us the way they see world! Sit on the floor or lie on your belly and remember to shoot from your pets eye level.

2. Use Natural Light

Try to avoid using a flash. A flash can sometimes frighten the animal so a flash can end you session before it ever begins. In addition, flash causes red eye which we have all encountered. Instead try to go outside or, if it is not possible, in a room well lit by a large window.

3. Show Their Character

We all know that whether we are taking pictures of our children or our pets, the most valued pictures are the ones that show them as they are. Try and catch them doing the things they most enjoy. If your dog, cat, bird etc. likes to play, photograph them playing or sleeping. Tell their story through photography.

4. Focus On The Eyes

Having sharp eyes is important in any kind of portraits photography. As they say, “Eyes are the Window to the Soul” and pets eye can be very expressive. So make sure to focus on your pet’s eyes and keep the tack sharp

5. Fill The Frame

Fill the frame with your pet’s face and fur, close up shots often make beautiful portrait.

6. Be Patient

Patience, Patience, Patience. Talk lots and lots of shots. Pet photography requires a lot of patience. No matter how excited your furry friend is, if you are patient enough, he will end up by relaxing and you will have the opportunity to get that shot.

7. The Element of Surprise

Keeping your pet still will be the most difficult task. Here is a great trick. Let your pet play or sleep and once you have everything ready, have someone call for him or whistle. This will surprise your pet and catch his attention and you will have a few seconds to that perfect shot.

9. Experiment

Use different angles and compositions. Shoot a lot you will have time to worry about the results later.

10. Have Fun With The Shoot

Don’t stress because your pet will pick up on the tension. If you have fun, they will have fun. Remember, lots and lots of shots.

01.30.

Top Ten Photography Tips by Kodak

I can’t take credit for these tips. I found them on the Kodak site. They did such an excellent job of simplifying and showing examples so I decided to just guide you to the site. The top ten simple tips are:

1. Get down on their level
2. Use a plain background
3. Use flash outdoors
4. Move in close
5. Take some vertical shots
6. Lock the focus
7. Move it from the middle
8. Know your flash range
9. Watch the light
10. Be a picture director

Follow these few simple rules and you will look like a pro in no time.

Credit for this post and information goes to Kodak.

Kodak Tips Link (great visuals)

01.30.

Exciting Promotion For Our Past Customers: Reserve Beach Session By March 31st and Receive $35 Gift Toward Package…

We would like to offer our past customers a special offer by reserving your session prior to March 31st. Our schedule became booked up last summer and our past customers were unable to secure the most valuable times. This year, we would like to open up early family beach session reservations to our most valuable customers. Book between now and March 31st to secure our best available times, and in addition, we will offer you a $35 gift toward your portrait package.

We certainly enjoyed working and photographing your family. We are honored that you included us in your plans.

Should your family desire a family beach portrait session this year, please email us or give us a call at 843-236-5403. We still have your information on file so your booking will be a breeze.

Visit our new website: www.MyrtleBeachPhotography.com.

Visit our new Facebook: Facebook.

For those of you who have not had your beach portrait done in a few years, we have lots of new items including gallery wraps, larger canvas wall portraits, more flexible packages, full resolution CD’s and many other goodies. To purchase gift certificates for family members, call 843-444-5600 or respond to this email and we will take care of everything for you.

Sincerely, The Myrtle Beach Photography Staff

Local: (843) 236-5403 Fax: (843) 236-5405 Toll Free (800) 290-3727

Email: mbp@myrtlebeachphoto.com

01.29.

Myrtle Beach Photography-Not A Tip But An Interesting Observation

Usually this is a place that I post tips for beginner photographers but I wanted to post an interesting observation that has really surprised me. With all the new technology and do it yourself photography, this industry makes the public think that photography/graphics/printing are a do it yourself task. The reason I am addressing this is something that has come to light especially this year. Myrtle Beach Photography has had a record year for family beach portraits. Our sales of photo packages has increased and sales of high resolution CD’s have gone through the roof. The idea is you can purchase the images on CD and print them yourself. Back to my point. With the increase of CD’s, it would stand to reason that our sale of prints, enlargements would decrease. On the contrary, our sales of prints and enlargements has increased as well. What really surprises me is the massive number of customers who are calling us to have their images, that they own on CD, printed by our professional lab. I will summarize some of their comments: “I was calling to see if you could print image number (?) because when I took it to (insert corner photo lab) it just does not look as good as the ones Myrtle Beach Photography printed. Our staff has know this for along time but now the public is beginning to realize that just because you have an excellent image, you will not get the same quality print unless it is being printed by a professional. Our lab did a test. We took an image and printed it at our lab. We then took it to several different corner labs. You can not imagine the difference in the same image printed at different locations. So much goes into creating a quality print that we cannot even begin to explain here.

My final point is, just because a photographer says that they will photograph your family and put all your images for you to use on a CD, do not expect the final output of all your images to be of professional quality. Professional photography is not just taking a good picture. So many other things go into your final beautiful family photograph. Next time you consider having your family portrait done, there is more to consider than the price of images on a CD.