How To Take Good Pictures Of Animals

Some of the best animal pictures are made when pets are being fed. Animals are most alert at that time.

SEVERAL weeks ago I happened to see a fine color picture of an election scene which had been made by one of the country's outstanding photographic studios. A line of people waiting to step into the voting booth were shown in a typical small town hall and the picture was full of homely touches which made it real: The picture of George Washington on the wall, the commuter with newspaper under his arm, a small kitten arching his back as one of the waiting voters scratched his neck.

Knowing that shots such as this involve a good deal of careful preparation, I asked the man who made it how-he managed to pose the kitten and get it to stay still until he had the picture just right and was ready to shoot. "Easy," he told me, "we just rubbed a bit of catnip on the fingers of the man scratching him."

The point of this story is that tricks like this are often, necessary if you're going to get successful shots of animals. And they are easy to bring about with a bit of ingenuity. When you plan your animal pictures, arrange some means of making certain that the animal's attention will be focused where you want it.

Experience proves that one of the best times to picture any animal — whether around the house or at the zoo—is feeding time. They're naturally alert then. It's easy to get good pictures when an animal is eating and you've little worry that your subject will move suddenly.

A second good point to keep in mind in picturing animals and pets is that young animals always lend themselves to charming pictures. Like children, kittens, puppies, and bear cubs have their own appeal. While it takes patience to catch them in just the pose you want, the snaps are worth the effort.

And third, be sure to make close-ups when shooting animals. Like people, a pet has personality and it can't be captured easily when you're 20 feet away from the subject, so move close in six to 10 feet—where you can get a big image of the animal. You'll find that this helps a lot.

In fact, you'll find that most of the rules which hold for shots of people hold good for pictures of your pets or other animals. If you are seeking new camera subjects, try them. You'll find fine snapshot material at the zoo, on a farm, or in the pets around your household.