Tips on taking photos with Kids with their pets | Salisbury MD Child Photographer

With everyone being at home it’s a wonderful opportunity to catch some beautiful photos between your kids and their pets. Here are a few tips to get the best photos you can with two moving subjects! 🙂

1. Always have your camera ready

The only way to make sure you capture fleeting moments is to have your camera out and ready to go 24/7. Most people have phones which have wonderful camera in them now and who doesn’t have their phone next to them all the time?

If you want to use your “real” camera to get the best shot you can it’s always the best choice but if you will miss the opportunity if you go get it just use your cell phone.

2. Blurring the background

If you are using your phone there is a portrait mode on many cameras that will select the subject in the foreground and blur the back so the busy background stuff won’t take away from your picture.

If you are using your DSLR camera you will want to set the F# at around 3.2. If you make the number too low you have a chance of not getting both subjects in focus.

3. Speed up that camera

Make sure your camera is moving fast enough to keep everything from being blurry. 1/160 of a sec is a good place to start. These settings will change depending on the amount of light you have so in a pinch just use auto.

4. No Flash!

Animals don’t tend to like flash. It makes funky reflections in their eyes and will likely scare them. It’s always good to try to find a door or a window to get them close to a natural light source.

Setting your ISO higher on your camera is a better option to flash.

5. If you want to “Pose” them

Most photos with your kids will not be posed but if you want to do a posed one there are a few things that will make it easier. If your child is a baby it’s best to get them settled first even sleeping and then bring your pet in. If you are working alone it’s best to have them separate but if you want them to be closer make sure you have someone else helping keep the pet still. You want everyone to remain safe.

If your goal is to capture real moments of your babes and pets, then shoot and choose the best later. However, if your objective is a posed, I suggest getting as many adults as possible to help.

6. Different Pets, Different Processes

Most of the time people are wanting to pose their child and a dog but sometimes you want to do a cat or a small pet. The process at which to pose everyone changes depending on the pet.

Cats generally don’t know commands nor would they listen if they did so in that case it’s best to let them settle somewhere and then have your child come up to see them. This can be tricky with younger kids because they move so fast and startle cats a lot of time.

If you happen to have a guinea pig or a hamster it’s best to get the whole animal in the photo and have your childs face right up to them to see them both clearly in the picture.