Here I hope to start a good discussion about some Pet Photography tips to help everyone get great shots of their best friends.
One important component is equipment. It doesn't mean you have to buy pro Equipment to get good shots, but the equipment you have influences what kind of shots you can take. For example the thing I hate the worst if I grab my wife's point an shoot is I press the shutter button at the moment I want to capture, but it takes a second or so to actually capture the image. This is fine if your subject is not moving but if you have tried to take pictures of kids and Pets you know that only happens while they sleep
There are many good brands of equipment out there, and I tell people it's just like Ford or Chevy, you have to pick one
I am a Nikon Guy and of course a GM guy (and now they are going bankrupt... ) But you could capture great images with Kodak disposable cameras if the situation is right and you follow some basic rules.
So here are some rules of thumb I like to throw out there.
Use good light. Indoor shots can seldom be made with available light, they need fill flash, outside shots are great but there are certain hours that are better than others for taking pictures, morning and evening light are the best, but sometimes the right picture happens at the wrong time and you have to make do with what you have. You can't capture good pictures if you don't have your camera with you when they happen.
Keep the light source at your back for best results. Get the camera lens at the same height as the subjects eyes, do not send me pictures of you looking down at your dog, they are rarely worth taking, crouch down, lay down, kneel down, do whatever it takes.
Pay attention to your background, many good pictures are ruined because of something distracting in the background.
Fill the frame with your subject, if you are taking a picture of your dog clear across a field, the field is now your subject, not the dog. Zoom in or scoot up.
That's a good start for now so lets here some more tips from our pros namely the Burkes and the Harms...
Steve
Dobes are like potato chips, you really can't have just one...