Composing a visually appealing photo that is in focus can make the pet look just as amazing in the photo as they do in real life, which is the primary goal of pet photography: to make potential adopters fall in love with the animal even when they can’t meet in-person right away. Here are four tips that will help you craft the perfect picture with your iphone.
1. Use the Camera Gridlines
The tried-and-true ‘rule of thirds’ helps you correctly position the key elements in a scene such as the pet. The basic concept is that positioning key elements off-center rather than in the middle of the frame creates photos that are more engaging to the eye.
Step 1: Open settings and select Camera. Make sure the Grid option is on.
Step 2: In the camera app, you should now see two horizontal lines intersecting two vertical lines.
Step 3: Position the pet where two of the gridlines intersect.
2. Set the Focus Point
Tired of blurry images? All you have to do is set the focus correctly (If you don't, the camera has to guess which part of the scene to focus).
Step 1: After your shot is composed, tap the screen where you want in sharp focus (the pet)
Step 2: A yellow box will show up to indicate the focus point. Now, snap the photo!
With Focus Lock, the focus point stays locked, even after you press the shutter.
Step 1: Press and hold the screen until you see AE/AF Lock at the top. If you’re taking multiple similar shots of the pet, you won't have to set the focus point each time.
Step 2: To remove AE/AF Lock, tap anywhere on the screen.
4. Use Headphones to Reduce Shake
Yes, really. After moving pups, camera shake is the number one cause of blurry photos. Similar to using the volume buttons on the phone itself as shutter buttons, you can also use the volume buttons built into the headphones cable to take photos. This way you can have your phone on a tripod and you don’t even have to touch it!
Step 1: Attach your headphones to your iPhone as usual.
Step 2: When you’re ready to take the photo just click the up or down volume button.