{"id":244042,"date":"2010-12-13T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2010-12-13T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/tails-of-the-city-how-to-get-cheery-holiday-pet-photos-in-a-snap\/"},"modified":"2010-12-13T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2010-12-13T08:00:00","slug":"tails-of-the-city-how-to-get-cheery-holiday-pet-photos-in-a-snap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/tails-of-the-city-how-to-get-cheery-holiday-pet-photos-in-a-snap\/","title":{"rendered":"Tails of the City: How to get cheery holiday pet photos in a snap"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Peggy Scott | SDUN Columnist<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Tails<\/a>
(Photo by David Veit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Twas the month before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring\u2014except the one you\u2019re trying to take a picture of for your holiday cards. Nothing spreads the holly jolly spirit of the holiday season like a cute greeting with a pet\u2019s likeness. Getting that perfect photo of your non-human companions can be, well, like herding cats. (No offense, feline fans. Everyone knows that a cat\u2019s \u201cYou want me to do what?\u201d attitude is part of their charm.)<\/p>\n

With a few tricks of the photography trade under your belt, however, you\u2019ve got a better shot at getting that shot. David Veit, whose Mission Hills-based photography business, David Veit Photography, focuses on environmental dog photography. He noted that preparation makes perfect.<\/p>\n

\u201cSet up your shot beforehand. Get the camera settings set ahead of the sitting,\u201d Veit explained. \u201cAnd if there are going to be people in the photo, get them settled first.\u201d He also recommends letting the pet\u2014dog or cat\u2014sniff the camera beforehand. \u201cPresent the camera so the animal becomes desensitized to something new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veit is also a big believer in pre-session playtime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re more likely to sit still if they\u2019ve had some exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veit said that the best pet photos\u00a0are those that really allow the viewer to connect with the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet the pet to look at the camera. There are a few good options for getting their attention: food and funny noises,\u201d Veit said. \u201cI carry a treat. Sometimes I\u2019ll set a treat on top of the camera, or wave a favorite toy. I even have a squeaky toy newspaper I slap on my leg to make a weird sound they can\u2019t help but look at. You\u2019ll have their full attention.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melanie Snowhite, a photographer in Julian who specializes in equine and canine photography, has found that creating a connection between subject and viewer can be a matter of perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cTake your camera and get down on the same level as your pet,\u201d Snowhite explained. \u201cThat eye-to-eye (connection) is very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowhite said that when it comes to the perfect recipe for getting a pet\u2019s attention, there most certainly can be too many cooks in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

\u201cPut one person in charge of the camera, and one person in charge of capturing the pet\u2019s attention. Otherwise it\u2019s too distracting and overwhelming,\u201d<\/p>\n

Snowhite said, adding that she has her own repertoire of pet-enticing sounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy iPod is loaded with animal sounds,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got one or two curious, intent looks from a pet when it hears a strange sound, after that, they\u2019ve figured it out and lose interest. And the time you\u2019ll have that attention is short. If a dog starts panting or tucks his ears back, he\u2019s stressed and you\u2019ve lost him,\u201d Snowhite said, adding that a formal \u201cportrait\u201d isn\u2019t necessarily the way to capture your pet\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n

She explained that sometimes the best photos come from un-posed, or \u2018in the moment\u2019 shots.<\/p>\n

Veit advised that should a pet owner want to use some of holiday accessories for their companion\u2019s photo shoot he or she should make sure it\u2019s a pet-friendly version.<\/p>\n

\u201cProps can be cute,\u201d Veit acknowledged. \u201cBut if you use antlers, use size-appropriate ones. And even for bigger dogs, use the ones made for dogs. They\u2019re built to be more comfortable on a dog\u2019s head and to stand upright.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veit added that even simple items you already have can add a little yuletide flavor to a photo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWrap pretty fabric around a pet\u2019s collar, or even your own red scarf can add a seasonal splash,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Both Veit and Snowhite agreed that your chances of a getting a good picture are better if you use what nature has to offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cNatural outdoor light is best,\u201d Snowhite said, although she admits photographing cats is usually easier in an indoor setting. \u201cAnd the sports mode (setting) gives you a faster shutter speed. I use 1\/500th of a second for (photographing) horses or dogs moving around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veit advised budding shutterbugs that must stay indoors to pick the brightest room in the house with natural light. \u201cIf you can go outside, that\u2019s good,\u201d he said. \u201cBut pick a secluded spot where your pet won\u2019t be too distracted. And keep the leash on if you have to\u2014arrange it behind the pet, out of the shot, or Photoshop it out later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technologically speaking, cameras are making it easier for even the most inexperienced photographer to succeed. Veit suggested taking a gander at the manual for a quick refresher, and to set the light balance (don\u2019t rely on auto). He said that a flash is to be avoided, especially when the animal is looking at the camera. First, it tends to make animals uncomfortable and they may bolt, he explained, adding that it\u2019s likely you\u2019ll wind up with canine green eye.<\/p>\n

The key is to stay relaxed and your pet will too. That way, the resulting images will reflect \u201cwho\u201d your pets really are. And, and Veit repeated: Don\u2019t forget the treats!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Peggy Scott | SDUN Columnist \u2018Twas the month before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring\u2014except the one you\u2019re trying to take a picture of for your holiday cards. Nothing spreads the holly jolly spirit of the holiday season like a cute greeting with a pet\u2019s likeness. Getting that perfect […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1298,"featured_media":244043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Tails of the City: How to get cheery holiday pet photos in a snap","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-244042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}