How to Take Pet Photos

Recently, I was very fortunate enough to do a short photo shoot at Hurley Park with Samantha and her little dog Lulu. I asked Samantha if she would be willing to do a shoot with her dog specifically for my blog, and she gladly accepted.

Because of the Fall weather, Samantha took complete advantage of that by pairing her pink sweater to Lulu's pink sweater and pink toenails.

Here are a few tips to remember when incorporating pets into portraits:

1. Be aware of your animal's temperament. That means have a leash to restrain hyper or aggressive dogs because depending on your venue, you may come across other animals. This goes for crate carrier for your cat too.

During this photo, Lulu barked ferociously at dog that was being walked on the road behind me.

2. If taking photos in a public place, please bring some sort of bathroom cleanup kit for your pet. There's no reason to leave behind unexpected gifts for others to find.

3. Action shots are great of animals; but for portraits, you almost always have to have the animal restrained somehow. I suggest having the pet owner be in most of the shots. This way you get an awesome shot of the owner with the pet instead of a shot of the pet with random hands or a leash restraining it.

4. Be wary of home comfortable an animal is with being held, lifted, etc. when looking for those unique poses. Lucky for us, Lulu was okay with being lifted in this next shot.

5. As a photographer, you need to take the time to get to know the animal beforehand. I have know Lulu since Samantha first got her, but it has been years since I have seen her. So, I took the time to regain her trust by letting her sniff me and eventually being able to pet her. If the animal does not trust you, you will not be able to pose the animal how you want without upsetting or getting yourself bitten.

6. The final and probably the most important step is that the owner needs to bring some sort of treat to give the pet. It's classic behavior modification, but on a smaller more immediate scale. If the pet remains still for a series of shoots, feel free to praise the pet and have the owner give him or her a treat. Some continued reinforcement of the right behavior for the photography shoot with treats tells the pet that he or she is doing something right. You can usually get your best results this way.

Taking photos of pets requires a lot of patience and flexibility. You need to be able to shoot at the right time to get the shot. Sometimes you may find yourself needing to shoot at a higher shutter speed to capture the pet in motion. This was not the case for me seeing as Lulu was an absolute angel for the entire shoot. Just have your finger on the shooting trigger at all times and be ready to snap that golden shot.

R.I.P. Lulu

Sadly, a week or so after the photo shoot Lulu passed away from health complications. I was extremely happy that Samantha allowed me to shoot these photos for her to remember her sweet dog by.

If you are a pet lover, I suggest that you get some portraits shots of you and your pet because you never know when their time with you will be up. It's a great way to spend an hour or so at the park with your pet and to enjoy the time spent together taking photos.

How to Take Sports Portraits

Recently, I was approached my my stepsister-in-law to take some cheerleading portraits of my niece. She had missed the official portrait day for her cheerleading squad, so I was happy to take the portraits and spend a little time with family.

Sports portraits can be taken anywhere and it is really up to the person requesting the photos regarding the location and the look. I personally am a fan of sports portraits taken at the field, gym, track, etc. Because Sierra is a cheerleader and in the middle of football season, I thought she would enjoy some photos at her school's football field. Here is where I must advise anyone taking photographs outside to position your subject where the sun is out of their eyes. It can be a hard thing to do, but your photos won't have squinted eyes.

Cheerleading pose with the goal post

Above I decided to include a beautiful, blue sky in the background of the goal post in one of Sierra's signature cheerleading poses.

I also highly suggest using sports symbols like the goal post or the scoreboard to keep with the theme of the photo shoot.

Scoreboard photo

Keep the photographs fairly simple. Families are wanting these photos to remember that their children played a sport. So, I suggest showcasing the sport-specific equipment and the jersey. In this case, we used the solid color wall of the concession stands to show off Sierra's uniform and pom-poms.

Showcase the school's colors and the sports equipment

Finally, I would suggest using some traditional sports photo poses and then be creative with some poses you can't get from your school or team's photographer of choice.

Traditional female pose

Action shot of a cheerleading jump with the school symbol in the background

Sports portraits can be anything that you want them to be as a photographer. However, keep in mind the vision that the player and the player's family have for the photos. That's why I mention taking some traditional, not over-the-top poses and mix in some fun poses, like some action shots or funny shots.

How to take sports portraits in three simple steps:
1. Your shoot location is literally the playing field
2. Highlight school colors, uniforms, equipment, etc.
3. Use traditional sports photography poses and creative poses

If you remember the three simple steps of sports portrait photography that I mentioned above, then you will be sure to have successful photos.

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2.Offers expire November 6, 2011, while supplies last.

3.Offers apply to mail-order purchases only and cannot be used for in-store pick up. All taxes and shipping fees apply.

4.Coupons may be used up to five times per customer. May not be used in conjunction with any other offer.

5.Offers valid for U.S. customers only.


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Children's Photography

I was lucky enough to do my first children's photo shoot with an adorable almost one-year-old little girl name Aubrey. She was the cutest thing I'd ever seen and she was a pleasure to be able to photograph. Her photography location was Memorial Garden - Concord, NC.

Taking photographs of children is a challenge and there are a few rules that are just a given that you must follow:

1. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting dirty.

With Aubrey, I was done on the ground with her shooting photos, standing in water to get the right shot, and being anywhere and everywhere I needed to be to get some great shots of her.

2. Always have the parent or guardian bring the child's favorite toy and/or snack to combat fussiness.

You can see Aubrey brought her doll for comfort

3. Always be prepared to capture the little moments.

Sometimes its hard to get a child to pose, but if you stand back and let the child interact with the setting, you can usually snap the cutest moments.

4. If you don't know the child, get to know the child.

Photographers do not always know the child or the family they are shooting. So, it is important to build a trust with the child before shooting. Luckily, I am related to Aubrey and have seen her at the few family functions she has attended in her short life. But, I still let her get to know me again. I helped her walk around, talked to her, and really encouraged her to smile.

5. Make the photo shoot fun!

You've already seen the photo of Aubrey splashing in the water, but I was also fortunate enough to snap some other photos of her for her 1st Birthday! We set up a mock birthday party set on the stone seating/entrance to Memorial Garden.

Being a photographer and photographing children takes a lot of patience, time management, and the ability to take each moment at a time. You never know when you're going to get the child that's going to do all the wrong things during the session, but as a photographer, you need to know all the right things to do in order to stay cool and get the photos.

Starting with my five tips for successful children's photography, you can mold those tips with your own experiences and attitude to get the most out of photography your children or the children of others.

Sloan Park - Mt. Ulla, NC

Sloan Park has been located less than 10 minutes up the road from my house, since I was nine years old. I visited the park many times, but it wasn't until recently that I really began to appreciate the park for more than just the playground. There are many nature trails to hike, a gazebo, stage, volleyball nets, a creek, and Kerr Mill.

I want to start my post out by highlighting some of the locations on the other side of the park that I wasn't able to use for my photoshoot.

A covered bridge on a nature trail

The Pond

Overgrowth and vines as covered seating

My absolute favorite is the stick-tree backdrop

Kerr Mill

I was lucky enough to shoot some graduation photos of Jess at this location and the opportunities are truly endless for the type of photographs you can take. You can even use the trees:

Jess wanted to get some photos at Kerr Mill so we tried to go for something more edgy and unique:

We also took advantage of the bridge and the creek behind Kerr Mill:

The Bridge

I suggest that you go explore Sloan Park before you next shoot to really find all the great nooks and crannies. There is always something to surprise you, but you can really use this park to shoot some great photos of anyone for any occasion. You just need a little imagination!

Park Hours:
January -May, and October - December
Monday – Friday 8:00AM to 5:00PM
June – September
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 6:00PM

Sloan Park
550 Sloan Road
Mount Ulla, NC 28125

Castle Craig - Meriden, CT

My fiance and I were lucky enough to take a road trip to visit a friend from college over the summer in Meriden, Connecticut. Neither of us had ever visited the New England area and wanted to make the most out of our trip. We took a lot of adventurous chances that we wouldn't have otherwise done, like making the 13+ hour trip or battling the monstrous mountain at Hubbard Park to see Castle Craig.

Hubbard Park

Hubbard Park Trails

I was under the impression that it was a little hike up more of a hill to get to Castle Craig, so I wore flip flops, shorts, and a 3/4-sleeved cardigan. My camera was around my neck, and I was ready to go take some photos. Boy was I wrong!

The little hike up the hill was fine. I made it with no problem. We even reach a walk-through bridge that crossed the interstate. Of course, I had to stop and take some photos of the bridge and the area surrounding it.

So many photo opportunities could be had in this covered bridge/tunnel, but the last photo was the best photo opt for me. I had envisioned a couple standing to the left of the frame kissing or holding each other smiling for the camera. If I would have known what was to come, I would have suggested that my fiance and I snap that exact photo. However, I assumed we could get it on the way back. I assumed wrong.

Crossing the bridge begins your unexpected mountain climb. Yes, I mean mountain climb with no exaggeration at all. My outfit and shoe choice were not cutting it at all on this adventure.

My fiance climbing up the mountain

Me lagging behind because it was hard for me to make the climb in flip flops

The hike was miserable going straight up, but there were some interesting locations for photographs along the way. My first rule is use any and every rock you see for photographs.

I would have loved to have my friend that joined us on the hike pose at any of the rocks above, but we were extremely hot and sweaty after taking on the climb. However, it wasn't very far from the last photo above and we were at Castle Craig.

Above is the paved path leading up to Castle Craig. Guess what? The paved path also leads down the mountain to the parking lot of Hubbard Park. We could have driven up to the Castle. I guess it was better we got the exercise.

Castle Craig is a lovely place to take photos. You can use the outside and inside of the tower, the backdrop of the forest below, and even the American flag.

Castle Craig

View from Castle Craig

Beautiful stone everywhere

The view was beautiful and the hike was well worth it. On the way back, we decided to take the paved road back. It was even longer to get back to the car that way, but a lot less scary. We found a nice reservoir at the base of the mountain.

Overall, getting to Castle Craig was worth it. I highly recommend anyone visiting Connecticut to make the trek up the mountain to for the beautiful view and to take some photos along the way. Or, if you are in the area, schedule your next shoot at the covered bridge and scope out some of the rock structures. I still think this would make an amazing couples shoot or a wonderful bridal shoot (if you drive the bride to the Castle.)

Castle Craig at Hubbard Park
199 Notch Rd
Meriden, CT 06451

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**THIS DEAL HAS EXPIRED**

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Offer is only valid until October 23, 2011. Limit one offer per customer. Valid in-store only.

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