Animal portraits

Taking photos of animals can be a very tricky business. Trying to keep them still is just about impossible.  No matter how organised I am I still have problems getting the perfect shot.  I am always reminded of the saying never work with children or animals when I decide to take animal portraits.

I have found some of these ideas helpful while taking animal photos.

1.  Get someone to hold the animal still and then take a close up of them,  like I did with this tiny hedgehog we fostered for a while.

2.  Lie down at the animals level and let them come to see what you are doing

3. Capture them while the laze around in the summer sun

4. Capture a part of them

5.  Take a photo from above while holding some food.  Reward them when you are done.

6.Have someone hold them on a lead and take the photo with the lead out of the shot.

7.  Take a continuous frame of photos and choose the best one you can get.  This picture was of one of our cat as a kitten yawning.

8.  Capture kittens in the odd places they get into and then can't get out of.

Always take time to get the perfect shot.  A professional photographer once told me it takes more than 200 shots to get the perfect photo.  Keep practicing!!