Keeping It Simple With Everyday Photos

It's not everyday that I pull out my studio camera, choose a lens, and set up lighting to capture something in my daily life.  In fact, there are many times that I do not go to my main camera at all in my own day-to-day life.

I can grab my point-and-shoot Fuji digital or use my cell phone for quick snapshots of things that "make my day."

If you remember that old K.I.S.S. rule, keeping it simple will often make it easier for you to have fun taking and making great photos, especially when it comes to the pets in your life!

What To Consider

1. Not every photo has to be perfect, but photos should have impact.
   
2. Your pet's habits, schedule and routine moments, can help you be prepared for the times when photos will showcase daily activities.
3. Your pet's likes and dislikes should dictate what you use to grab attention, or, in the case of a pet that doesn't like photos, the unassuming tactics you will have to use to catch them in your lens.

The above photo was an opportune moment on a snowy night.  It is clearly not perfect.  But it does capture a routine moment in our dogs' (and one cat's) lives.  The habits and routine we know about, are the facts that our dogs gravitate to laying with each other on our large couch in the evening.  We never know who will get the first-come-first-served spots, but we know it's going to happen.

In this case, two of the dogs on the couch do not like to be photographed, and had I made a big deal out of it or set something up, they would have left.  Not one of them knew I was taking this photo with my cell phone.

Good and Simple Technical Practices

1. Whether you use a quickie camera or your cell, investigate the settings and be sure to switch to center point focus.  Then focus on the eyes.
2. Crop out anything that gets in the way of the impact of your main subject.  The photo below shows the same couch, in the same spot near  the large window above.  You can see I've cropped out all of the excess, but left in a bit of the table and the flowers on the table.
3. Use black and white to your advantage.  Too many colors take away from the subject.  Keep it simple by changing your photo to black and white.

Other Simple Things To Do

1. Look for ways to frame your subject.
   
2. Try different angles for different impacts.
3. Don't compose every image with your subject in the center.
   

Simple Things to Capture

In my house the routines and habits give me insight into the types of things I can capture on a daily basis.  Things like:

• Sleep positions
• New toy or new chew celebrations
• Cute facial expressions
• Dog interactions
• Cat/Dog interactions
• Cats on the prowl
• Window watching activities
• Treat time
• Couch time
• Cuddle time

What are some of the routine things your pets do on a daily basis?

Playtime and Use of Words

I love to capture our dogs at play, or our cats doing odd things, then create small, sometimes humerous blurbs about it.  If you visit my Instagram page @igottheshot and check out my Highlight titled "Capture the Day" you can see some of the things I have created there.  If you are not already following this page, I encourage you to do so.  I announce specials and change of season quick sessions there.

If you are using your cell, two great apps for adding text are Snapseed or Pixlr.  Both are free.  I have both on my phone and use them for "blurb" purposes, as well as some of the editing tools they provide.

Click Into the Circle

I am part of a weekly blogging group of professional pet photographers located all over the planet.  To see what others have blogged about in this week's topic (KISS), start here with Nancy of Nancy Kieffer photography shares some tips for taking your own photos of your pet.  It's a good week to tune into the circle, as there will be plenty of tips.

Then find the link at the end of each blog to click on to the next photographer, until ou find yourself back here. 

Enjoy!  Have a great weekend!  Only 37 more days until Spring!