“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals” - Winston Churchill
■ This course is perfect for lovers of pets
■ It covers the gear and technique needed to take great shots
■ We help you to train your eye to capture the action using varying depth of fields, shutter speeds, freezing & capturing motion
■ Learn about using the right light & composition to create a great image
■ Tips & tricks about how to get the best out of your furry friend - whether that's a dog, cat, guinea pig, rabbit, horse or axolotl
■ We also cover smartphones - great for capturing action, slo-mo and short video clips
■ Tips and tricks & 10 projects to hone your skills
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
INTRODUCTION - what the pet photography course is all about
HOW THIS COURSE WORKS - introduction | study - read the notes | do the practical projects | critique - submit the project images for critique | certificate - receive your certificate of completion | social media - join our photography space group on facebook & instagram
PREPARATION - introduction | before you go | where to go | when to go | how to go | what pets to shoot | outdoors | indoors | be adaptable | back up & storage | auto smartphone back up | workflow | your safety & wellbeing | blogging & social media | instagram | tips & tricks | summary | recommended tools
CAMERA GEAR - what gear - a quick guide | full frame dslr cameras | cropped sensor dslr | prime & zoom lenses | quality compacts | mirrorless cameras | bridge & hybrid cameras | medium format cameras | adventure cameras | smartphones | drones | speedlite flash units | supplementary lighting | off camera lighting | tripods, monopods & gorillapods | filters | batteries, memory cards & backup | cleaning your gear | camera bags | accessories | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
CAMERA HANDLING - shooting modes | raw vs jpeg | metering modes | colour space | focusing modes | white balance | iso | picture style & control | exposure lock & compensation & bracketing | adding light into shadows | high dynamic range (hdr) | using flash | tethering | video clips | tips & tricks | summary
LIGHTING - types | natural light | artificial light | white balance | time the light | planning & timing | dawn | midday | late afternoon | silhouettes | tips & tricks | summary
COMPOSITION - leading & converging lines | the rule of thirds | framing an image | reflections | look for unusual angles | odd & even numbers | colour | star bursts | focusing on detail | showing motion | freezing the shot | viewpoint | point of view (pov) | selective focus | vertical vs horizontal | aspect ratio | tips & tricks | summary | compositional aids
COMMON THEMES
SPECIFIC INFORMATION - overview | destinations | know your gear | lightweight camera gear | respect your pets space | health & safety | know your pet | time of day | time of year | viewpoint | shooting on foot | aerial using drones | remote control devices | close up & macro | nature | wildflowers | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
DOGS - overview | personalities | motivators | particular techniques | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
CATS - overview | personalities | motivators | particular techniques | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
OTHER PETS - overview | personalities | motivators | particular techniques | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
EXOTIC PETS - overview | a few types of exotic pets | more pets | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
PEOPLE & PETS - frozen moments | interact with your subject | framing | colour coordination | lens perspective | backgrounds | common mistakes | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
EDITING, PROJECTS & OTHER
EDITING - back at home | basics of editing | editing in lightroom | transferring files-hardware | uploading files | auto smartphone backup | home & office back up | showcasing your images | social media | selling online | photo books & frames | photos as prints | tips & tricks | summary | recommended gear
ISSUES & COMMON ERRORS - common mistakes | photos are not sharp | rotational perspective | barrel distortion | dirty sensor, filter or lens | wrong lens | unwanted reflections | slanted horizons | excess clutter & unbalanced | digital noise | over tilting | incorrect colour balance | lurid colour & hdr | tips & tricks | summary
WHERE TO FROM HERE - amateur or pro | personality type | match your interests | practical tips for success | photo gear in the future | computational photography | the end of the beginning | tips & tricks | conclusions | summary | a personal journey
PRACTICAL PROJECTS - light | composition | perspective | depth of field | viewpoint | reflections | showing motion | freezing the subject | macro | colour balance
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) - why do a photography space course | benefits | tutor support | accreditation | background needed | certificate | computer skills | course style | course cost | online social network club | faq hotline
RESOURCES - camera & studio gear at good prices | field guide & support | tripods | camera bags | retail outlets & processing labs | camera & lens tests | camera magazines | photography books | inspirational wildlife & nature books | indesign & lightroom tutorials | interesting photography websites | digital albums & services | photo sharing | photography tours
GLOSSARY - the a to z guide to all things photographic
ABOUT THE AUTHORS - serena pearce code lime photography | andrew thomasson focus 10 photography
■ This course is suitable for amateurs to serious semi pro photographers alike - the course is very comprehensive
■ Whilst it's advantageous to have some background photography knowledge, the course is very detailed with easy to understand, step by step procedures to teach you every facet of camera handling skills and composition, lighting and a myriad of other techniques to become a competent pet photographer
■ What is important is to have camera gear with fast focusing, tracking and fast enough shutters speeds to freeze motion. A cheap $500 DLSR is capable of taking good to excellent shots of your pet. However If you are shooting pets professionally, you need camera gear that reflects your commitment and professionalism to your craft and a bag of quality camera gear does just that
■ Any full or cropped frame DSLR camera or mirrorless camera is ideal. Full frame cameras with their bigger sensors will give better results in certain situations. For this course one DLSR or mirrorless camera is sufficient. For shooting critical pet shots you need a back up camera in case of equipment failure
■ We also suggest you have a quality compact such as a Sony RX100 series, Nikon, Canon, Lumix LX100, Yashica, Fuji or equivalent. These are particularly good as great pet photography cameras in their own right or as back up cameras
■ The two main lenses in a pet photographers camera bag would be a 24-70mm and a 70-200mm (preferably on its own dedicated full frame camera body), wide angle such as a 16-35mm, a telephoto lens eg. 70-300mm or a mid range lens (eg 24-105mm or a 24-120mm). A few prime lenses such as a 50mm f1.8 and a portrait 85mm f1.8 is an inexpensive addition to your kit
■ An external on-camera flash unit would be useful to do this course. If you have a built in flash on your camera this is often sufficient
■ We highly recommend you have a quality smartphone - preferably with at least one optical zoom lens. Great for air dropping samples of the shoot to the pet owner or capable of taking a great shot in its own right. Its also useful for instant posting on social media sites
■ A sturdy tripod (for still, model shots of stationary pets), U/V & polarising filters, 5-in-1 reflector (a 42" one is a good size)
Pet Photography Course - $290
Our courses are practical and fun with lots of tips and tricks, case studies and amazing images to inspire you
We share our experiences as working pet and wildlife photographers - lots of advice and recommendations with less jargon
Our courses are suitable for all camera types - full and cropped frame DSLR's, mirrorless, quality compacts, smartphones and drones
We are here to share our combined experience of 40 years as working professional photographers and educators with you