As most of us already know, animals can be special friends.

You show how much you love them by feeding them, keeping their water dish clean and full, brushing them, and--most important of all--by LOTS OF HUGS AND SNUGGLES! Unlike people friends, animals don't mind if you feel grumpy or if you're dirty or even if your bedroom is messy.

Whether your special animal friend is your own pet or maybe an animal that belongs to somebody else, you'll want to remember just how cute he is FOREVER. So you want to take pictures--really good pictures-- and plenty of them! Here are some ideas that might help you make your photographs as special as your pet is:

1. PAY ATTENTION TO THE LIGHTING WHERE YOU ARE.

If you're taking a picture outdoors, the light will be nicest just after sunrise or just before sunset. Why? Because the light is coming sideways from the sun, and it looks kind of gold. Even if you take a picture at some other time of day, make sure you aren't pointing your camera RIGHT AT the sun or your pet will look like a shadow with no face at all.

 

If you're taking pictures on a sunny day, you may want to try using a special film. Film which is labeled ASA 200 works well in sunlight. (The ASA number tells you how fast the film is. Big numbers mean really fast film which is used in special situations we'll talk about in later articles.)

1. WHAT'S BEHIND YOUR PET IN THE PICTURE?

If your pet is dark in color, you want the background to be light so he won't blend in and not show up in the picture. For example, a black horse might look best if she is standing in front of a white or yellow fence or shed. If your pet is light-colored, see if you can find something dark as a background. For example, if you have a white dog, she might look good sitting in front of a dark green bush.

1. HOW CAN YOU GET YOUR PET TO STAY STILL WHILE YOU FOCUS?

Some pets know how to sit still on command. "Sit! Stay!" works for animals who have learned what orders like that mean.

Some pets, such as dogs or horses, will stand still when they're tied, or you could have a friend or sister or brother hold your pet--especially if it's something cuddly like a kitten or a rabbit.

You can take your picture when your pet is already pretty still--maybe when she is asleep or holding a cute pose.

If you are using an SLR 35 mm camera, you can try using an f-8 f-stop to focus.

1. HOW CAN YOU FOCUS WHEN YOUR PET ISN'T STILL?

There is a special way to hold your camera to help keep the final picture from being blurry when your subject (the thing you're taking the picture of) is moving. It is called PANNING. Panning means that you're going to move your camera the same way your subject is moving. Let's say your horse is running down the length of the pasture. You point your camera at him and follow him, clicking the button as you go. Panning takes some practice, and some of your pictures may not be quite what you wanted, but it's fun to try! If you're using an SLR 35 mm camera, you can set your shutter speed to 1/500 to help you . If you're using a camera that does everything for you (we often call those cameras "point and shoot" cameras, because that's all you have to do!), then you might want to try taking your picture looking at the side of your animal to make the animal's body look as normal as possible in the photograph.

When you've created a really great photograph of your animal friend, why not send us a copy?

(Keep a copy for yourself, just in case our copy gets damaged.) Put it in a special mailer envelope or in an envelope with a little thin cardboard to protect it. Inside the envelope, put ANOTHER envelope which is the same size and is addressed to you at your address. Put the same amount of postage on BOTH envelopes. (We will use the envelope inside to send the photo back to you.) We would also like to have a photograph of you and a little note telling us your name, where you live, how old you are, and something about your pet/friend or how you took the picture.

On the outside envelope, print our address:

Apogee Photo Magazine
Attn: Short Exposures
12794 South Highway 285
Conifer, CO 80433

If you don't have the envelope inside which is ready to be sent TO YOU, we won't be able to send you your pictures back.

You can send us your ideas and questions, too. We'd love to hear from you!