By
Edvarcl Heng, CNET Asia
08/08/2007
URL:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001469,62030593,00.htm
There's something just so utterly endearing when it comes to animal pictures, but being the pesky things that they are, it's tough to get them to hold still, let alone pose for a picture. But like how Coleridge* puts it, "He prayeth best who loveth best, all things both great and small". Similarly, we think it takes some real love to snap animal pictures this well.
*Samuel T. Coleridge--The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
The images you see from this feature have been reproduced with permission from
Nicholas Lee. If you wish to be featured in our interviews or know any photo buffs who may be interested, write to us, and we'll get back to you.
About Nicholas Lee:
My interest in photography started around mid-2005 when I volunteered to walk dogs from the SPCA. I was encouraged to improve my photography skills after SPCA used the photos that I took with my Nokia 6630 for their Web site. I upgraded to an LC-33 compact and started borrowing books to learn more about photography. Shooting with film taught me to slow down and think before pressing the shutter button.
I used to go to a photo lab for high-volume prints, but now I use the HP Photosmart D7360 photo printer which gives me comparable print quality. For animal portraits, it’s especially important that details are not lost in prints.
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Ariel
This photo was one of my earliest shots. Ariel had that attitude that only cats can exude. Taken with my old LC-33
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Brownie
While you are waiting to be adopted, you need to keep your spirits up. Sometimes a good laugh like what Brownie had here helped to lighten up the mood.
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Carl
Sometimes you need to look at things from another angle.
Nicholas says: For pet portraits, what you want is to show an animal's best qualities or a certain aspect of its personality. Although animals do not know how to pose, their expressions are natural and they rarely look stiff. This is the same reason I prefer to shoot animals in a location they are familiar with. Though it's difficult getting an animal to keep still or look a certain way, I feel a sense of satisfaction when the owner is happy with the shot.
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Beto
This was shot on film and edited to enhance the colors. Beto was a friendly mongrel with mesmerizing ice blue eyes. It was tough waiting for it to quiet down, but I managed to snap this one when it stopped for a scratch.
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Catty
How it felt to be a cat’s prey.
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Nuzzy
This is one of my most popular pictures ever on account of how cute Nuzzy was. I shot this by sticking my LC-33 though the bars of an adjacent kennel.
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San Bao
One of the residents at MnM, San Bao. It was an old dog with a very sweet temperament which loved treats. Shot with a borrowed 24-70mm on my 350D
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Xiao En
Xiao En, another mongrel from MnM, in the dog run. It was just so full of energy and couldn’t keep still for a moment. However, it did manage to stay quiet for about 1/250 sec for this picture.
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Lucci
One of my first clients was Alex. His dog, Lucci, was crazy for balls and loved to chase them. I decided to give its portrait a sepia tone for a more classic feel.
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Husky
Some say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and it's clearly no exception for animals.
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Joy, Floe and Puteh
There were originally two puppies in the kennel, but a third one joined them soon after its bath. They were wary of my presence and huddled together for comfort, but luckily, they all looked up at the same direction when someone walked towards the kennel. Patience and timing were crucial for photographing animals.
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Cherry
This puppy was adopted because someone saw its picture in my Flickr stream. It may not be my best shot, but if it helps a dog find a good home, it is good enough for me.
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Cameron and Highlands
Two Daschunds that do not act their age at all. Too sprightly and active for senior dogs, I placed them in a flower pot because they kept running around.
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Velcro
Kittens have boundless energy and are suitable for great action shots. With the help of the owner I managed to capture Velcro in mid flight. It was indoors so I bounced a flash off the ceiling for the light. I pre-focused on the toy and let fly when the owner told me she was pouncing.
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Crystal
Sometimes you need to observe an animal's behavior closely. This stray kitten (later rescued and re-homed) was playing with a rubber band and backed up each time we threw it towards it. Once, it was thrown a little too fast and it backed up too quickly. This shot was the result of that.
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Pandora
One of the shots from an editorial shoot for Wedding & Travel magazine. It was a fun experience as it was my first location shoot with more than one dog.
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Purrfect
Purrfect, my girlfriend's cat, was one cat that I had to work hard to get its attention. It initially ignored me. It was only after months before it warmed up to me. It was resting on the head of the couch when I quickly snapped this, bouncing the flash off the side wall as the ceiling was too high.
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Pita
It was rescued as a one-day-old kitten and slowly nursed back to health. It is now a very playful kitten that runs around my girlfriend's place terrorizing the older cat. I like how it resembles a cheetah running after its prey in this picture. Even after decades of domestication there are still some things that don't change.
Nicholas says: My advice for anyone who wants to take better pet pictures? Know your camera inside out--you don’t want to be fumbling when your dog has a perfect expression. Make sure you know the basics and how ISO, aperture and shutter speeds co-relate to avoid out-of-focus shots. Try to look at photos that you like and ask yourself what makes the photos look good. Is it the lighting, the expression or the perspective? The next time you try to take a photo, emulate (not copy) and develop your own style and vision.
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