DIY Network

Pet Portraiture: Planning, Set-Up and Lighting From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-105

	This pet snapshot suffers from several problems common to pet photos: careless composition, direct flash and the dreaded "green eye syndrome."
	Another problem is a subject who looks distracted or disinterested.

If you're a real pet lover, you've probably tried your hand at taking some pet portraits. And chances are good that you've had difficulty getting that perfect shot that does your pet justice.

In this installment of DIY's The Whole Picture, professional photographer Erin Manning offers advice on how you can control your shooting environment and encourage cooperation from your subject to get that elusive shot that captures who your pet really is. On the technical side, Erin covers lighting basics, adjusting the camera's ISO setting for proper exposure and, finally, having some fun with pet portraits through creative manipulation of backgrounds.

Materials:

Digital camera
Camera owner's manual
Tripod
Clamp lights
Roll of seamless paper
or a sheet or blanket

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Better pet portraits can be achieved through careful lighting, proper camera settings and a few tricks to help get cooperation from your subject.

Pet Portraiture 101

There are a number of challenges to getting a good portrait shot of your pet. For instance, unless lit properly, the beauty and texture of a dog or cat's coat often doesn't come through well in photos. Then there's the dreaded "reflective eye," an all-too-common problem in pet photos. Snapshots of pets also often end up with the subject looking distractedly away from the camera or completely disinterested. Your canine or feline companion may be cute and adorable, or even regal and majestic, but photogenic may be another matter entirely.

Another consideration is the use of flash. In addition to being a less-than-ideal form of lighting for portrait photography, using a flash may startle your pet and make the photo-shoot more difficult. Direct flash may also cause the aforementioned "green-eye" effect. These and other problems inherent in pet photography can be dealt with by taking the time to properly set up the shot in advance. Even the best trained pet is unlikely to sit patiently while you try to plan out lighting, background and other set-up matters.

	Select a background that will complement your pet's appearance.
	It helps to use a "stand-in" so your live subject doesn't get restless as you set up lighting and take test shots.
	A continuous tonal backdrop can be used if you want to digitally manipulate the photo background later using photo software.

Setting Up the Space

• Keep your pet in another room while you are setting up for your shots. Even the most well behaved pet isn’t going to sit still while you set up lights and the background. You can use a stuffed animal as a "stand-in" for your pet as you work on the set-up, background and lighting.

• The key to great indoor pet-portraits is the right lighting. Professional lights are an option but, for beginners, simple clip-on lights fitted with daylight bulbs will work fine. You'll use lights and background in combination to achieve the best shooting situation to highlight your pet.

• Start by picking a background. Seamless backgrounds like professional photographers use are available in a range of shades and colors. They provide a continuous tone and even lighting for the photograph. But you can also just use a sheet or blanket as long as it's a color or shade that complements your pet's coat-color well. Pick a color or shade against which your pet will show up well. Avoid using a color that's the same as that of the pet's collar or anything else they might be "wearing."

• One of the easiest backgrounds to light is seamless paper or fabric that's long enough to continue behind and under your subject. By creating a gentle curve where the backdrop meets the floor, you'll minimize the possibility of harsh shadows from your lights. Using a seamless background will help the light to be more even since it is reflecting the light evenly around your subjects.

• Whether it's a seamless roll or just a sheet or blanket, the background needs to start a couple of feet above the pet’s head and be long enough so that it will come out a few feet from where they’ll sit. That way you won’t be shooting off the background which can confuse your light meter and cause it to set the wrong exposure.

• Once you’ve chosen the background, you can move on to the lighting. For good portrait shots, you'll want to work with three-point lighting, the basic method of lighting used by professionals in photography, film and television. The technique uses three light sources--one in front, one from the side to fill in shadows and one behind to separate your subject from the background.
  

  	Use key lighting in combination with fill and back lighting to get better results when shooting pet portraits.
  	Test shots will help ensure that you get the best lighting and proper exposure setting.

1. Be careful not to the let the light overpower your pet. Remember many animals have a shiny coat. Too much light will make them look "waxy."

2. Remember to shoot at the pet’s eye level. Don’t make the mistake of setting everything up so that you’re looking down at your pet. That will just diminish the pet and distract from their presence. Before setting your lights, put your camera on a tripod at the pet’s eye level. Then as you set each light, you can look at the results on the camera's LCD screen.

3. Start by setting the main or key light. This is your strongest, most direct light-source and will influence the scene the most. Place it slightly to the side of your subject so that side is well-lit. Also, make sure you keep the light just slightly above your subject to prevent shadows under the chin and body.

4. Add the secondary light known as the fill light. This light is placed on the opposite side and will help fill in the shadows caused by the key light. Make sure that this light is less bright then the key and that it has a wider beam. You may also want to set this light further back then the key light.

5. Finally, set the back light. This light goes behind your subject to help separate them from the background. It will provide the definition that will help to make your pet stand out and give the photo dimension.

6. Turn on the lights and adjust them so that the shadows are minimize and so that it looks pleasing to you. It may be necessary to change out bulbs or add dimmers to reduce intensity of one or more of the lights.

7. Take a few test pictures and check out the results on your LCD screen. Adjust the lights so that you have the best lighting on your test subject.

In the lesson that follows, Erin talks about setting your camera's ISO for the proper exposure in the lighting situation being used.

RESOURCES :

PC Photo magazine
Website: www.pcphotomag.com
Online version of the magazine devoted to digital photography and related technologies.

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