Tips for Photographing Animals

You can't pose undomesticated animals per say, but you can capture the moment―even if it looks like you posed them. Much of the same principles apply towards photographing animals as it does towards humans. Keep these basic principles in mind as you photograph animals:

1) Eye contact is important, but not always necessary. In some instances, a pose with eye contact from an animal works. In my opinion, this type of pose is equivalent to a traditional, formal portraiture. When the pose works, the body position is natural and shows the full-body.

2) The surrounding setting is important too. If there are a couple of background textures and tones which complement the animal and setting, this would be perfect! In this way, the animal and setting (the background) contain visual unity.

3) The camera's flash fills in shadows and enhances the appearance of humans, as well as animals. Take a fill flash photograph and look for the shadows on and around the animal's body. Now, take another photograph without the flash. Without the flash, part of the animal