Scrapbook Your Animal Friends

Enlarge Image Image Gallery I was here first!: It’s important to capture your subject’s personality. Linda Rountree Grove

I enjoy photographing the special things in my life, then turning those photos into beautiful scrapbooks. However, when it comes to photographing my farm animal friends, it can be a challenge. It seems my feathered and furry friends have short attention spans.

So, you ask, how can you get the camera to capture that special something that truly conveys your animal’s unique personality?

Well, first let me say that you don’t have to be a professional photographer to take great animal photos. You also don’t have to go out and buy an expensive camera. A basic camera with no frills works just fine because, with the animals’ short attention span, you’re not going to have time to fiddle with all the bells and whistles of a fancy, high-dollar camera anyway.

Following are five tips to consider when taking animal photos so you can get the best shots possible. Employing one or more of these techniques when photographing your animal friends can make the difference between an average shot and one that captures your animal’s unique personality.

The bond that develops between humans and animals deserves to be commemorated, and putting these fabulous mementoes in a scrapbook is truly a treasure to behold.

Capture Personality

You know your animal’s behavior better than anyone. Use that knowledge to help you anticipate an upcoming photo possibility.

For example, when I heard a ruckus in the nesting box one day, I wasn’t surprised to find Molly at the bottom of it. Although Molly is our smallest chicken, she has a larger-than-life personality and is always the center of attention. Because I know Molly does not like to share the nesting box with her sister, I was ready with my camera. I shot the photo through the egg door of the coop and was able to catch her “I was here first!” attitude, and it made a great photo for the scrapbook (scrapbook page titled “I was here first!”).