Camera PV 2007 » Digital Camera » Taking pictures
Taking pictures
Question:
> I want to take some pics of our budgies, but I don’t want to scare > them! For those of you that take pics of yours, how do you do it > without traumatizing them?
You’ll need a camera that allows you to get close enough to the birds so they won’t look tiny in the final print. Getting close doesn’t bother my birds. But it’s important not to use flash. If someone shot a flash in my eyes at that distance I’d be blind for a week. I put my cage out on a screened in porch and hold a camera slightly inside one of the doors to the cage. The flash is turned off. I do this at a time of day when there’s sun coming into the cage. If it’s too cold to go out on the porch, I just don’t take pictures. This morning it was 60 degrees here, so I was able to get some shots. You can see them at the following website: http://luknhard.home.mindspring.com/ (In the past I’ve taken pictures through the bars of a cage, which works well enough if you put the camera right up on the bars.) Luk
Response:
> I want to take some pics of our budgies, but I don’t want to scare > them! For those of you that take pics of yours, how do you do it > without traumatizing them? > Thanks! > Connie
The problem I had with Ruby was that she wanted to get up every time I got close enough to snap a picture. Now I’ve a zoom lens so it’s not a problem, anymore. Janet See my baby, Ruby, at… http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=920323&a=6711759
Response:
Point and shoots okay, you should be able to get some really great pictures from that. I used to have a point and shoot too. I have some really great pictures. Your birds should be okay with the camera. Good Luck! -Elisa – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > That’s the problem — all I have is a point & shoot camera 
> If you have a good camera you won’t need to get too close, just zoom > in.
Response:
I want to take some pics of our budgies, but I don’t want to scare them! For those of you that take pics of yours, how do you do it without traumatizing them? Thanks! Connie
Response:
I’ve never had a problem taking pictures. If you have a good camera you won’t need to get too close, just zoom in. It may scare them the first few times you do it, eventually they will get used to it. My birds now sit very still and wait for the flash. Good luck! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I want to take some pics of our budgies, but I don’t want to scare > them! For those of you that take pics of yours, how do you do it > without traumatizing them? > Thanks! > Connie
Response:
That’s the problem — all I have is a point & shoot camera If you have a good camera you won’t need to get too close, just zoom in.
Response:
Ok, now I’ve done it. I volunteered to go out to the local Shelter and take pictures with my digital camera for the website. They currently use a 35mm camera, have to have them developed and then scanned, and by the time they get to the server, some of the pets are gone, therefore need a faster method. Any suggestions on holding these critters still to photograph? Some of the dogs are pretty rowdy…..I hate to take the pics through the cages, but maybe won’t have a choice. I would love to find someone to volunteer to print a pamphlet monthly, and get it to the public. I would be willing to do the master copy. Any suggestions? Sherry
Response:
I’ve done the photography at the shelter thing, both with a 35 mm and with a digital camera. It’s helpful to have an assistant who holds the animal (or the leash), and if you get legs/arms in the picture that also gives a better idea of the animal’s size. However, I rarely had someone to help me. I was always allowed to open any cages I needed to. Personally, I think pictures of dogs "behind bars" are more heart-tugging, but it was very hard to get a shot of any cat who wouldn’t come to the front of the cage. The dog runs were chain link, and I could sometimes get right up to the chain link and shoot through the gaps. Mostly, though, the dogs came bounding up to the fence whenever they saw a human, and I’d have to back up to shoot. (I very rarely entered a dog run; I have a mild dog phobia, although I found it improved enormously due to the repeated exposure.) I want to warn you that some dogs are frightened by the flash, or by the sound of an autofocus camera refocusing, or by the dot of red light that automatic camera’s shine for focusing/light metering (I’m not sure which it’s for — I have an older model that doesn’t have the little red light). Some will begin to bark or growl as soon as you point a camera at them. I don’t know if these are abused animals, or what, but often I couldn’t get a second shot, because the dog would start barking and/or snarling as soon as I took the first one. If there’s any way you can do this before or after the shelter is open to the public, I’d strongly advise it, unless your shelter gets hardly any visitors. Shooting around people is much more time-consuming. I always took three times as long as anyone else who took photos, waiting to get a "good" pose, but they told me my photos were better than the others. I also used the opportunity to look for signs of illness or aggression, so I could report them to staff. (I once found a cat in the middle of birthing a kitten in the adoption room, which was *not* where near-term moms were supposed to be.) At our shelter, you’re asked to disinfect your hands between each animal you handle to prevent the spread of disease. It’s a good idea, but your shelter may not have the materials available in the rooms where the animals are. A pump bottle of Purell (gel antiseptic, in most grocery stores with the soft soaps) could be handy. It evaporates right off your hands, so you don’t need paper towels with it. You’ll also need clear notes on which animal is in which shot — if there are a lot of animals there’ll be some that you can’t tell apart after you take the photos. I’m not clear on just what the pamphlet is for, but if it’s to show pictures of available animals, a month seems like a long interval, unless you have a no-kill shelter. At my shelter, when I took 35 mm shots and had them developed, I’d come back to see which animals were still there before using the photos. Usually 30-50% of the animals were gone (one way or another) within 2-3 days of taking the pictures. Of course, we only have a 2-business-day holding period before animals can be adopted out or euthanized, as needed. Fortunately, the staff at our shelter do everything they can to keep the animals longer and to place them, and they have a good placement rate compared to many "government" shelters. Anita in Olympia, WA – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Ok, now I’ve done it. I volunteered to go out to the local Shelter and take > pictures with my digital camera for the website. They currently use a 35mm > camera, have to have them developed and then scanned, and by the time they > get to the server, some of the pets are gone, therefore need a faster > method. Any suggestions on holding these critters still to photograph? Some > of the dogs are pretty rowdy…..I hate to take the pics through the cages, > but maybe won’t have a choice. I would love to find someone to volunteer to > print a pamphlet monthly, and get it to the public. I would be willing to do > the master copy. Any suggestions? Sherry
Response:
I thought digital cameras meant that there is no need for film, so that you can load it into your computeras soon as you’re done taking the pictures. One of those digital cameras would be ideal for your purpose. Of course, the better ones are more expensive. But sometimes you can find a decent one on sale. Also, since you’re doing it as a volunteer to a charity, there must be some way to get a tax credit on it. Or, maybe you can get some donations through the shelter for this purpose. As for photographing certain dogs through the cage…if they aren’t real friendly, I think you’d have to do it that way. Just make sure you explain in the brochure that the dog isn’t meant to be a family pet! Erin No animals in my address
Response:
I do have a digital camera, on "better" setting will do about 54 photos, I hope that’s all I will need; our shelter is small but very crowded. This way I can upload directly to the administrator, and save lots of time and paperwork, but I do need an assistant (husbands are good) for writing the info on each animal that will appear with the photo on the website. Special thanks to Anita, your advice was very helpful, and I will print it out and take it with me. I am scared to death!! Wish me luck, we still don’t know when we are going out, will talk to the president of the humane society sometime this week. Sherry
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I thought digital cameras meant that there is no need for film, so that you can > load it into your computeras soon as you’re done taking the pictures. One of > those digital cameras would be ideal for your purpose. Of course, the better > ones are more expensive. But sometimes you can find a decent one on sale. > Also, since you’re doing it as a volunteer to a charity, there must be some way > to get a tax credit on it. Or, maybe you can get some donations through the > shelter for this purpose. As for photographing certain dogs through the > cage…if they aren’t real friendly, I think you’d have to do it that way. > Just make sure you explain in the brochure that the dog isn’t meant to be a > family pet! > Erin > No animals in my address
Response:
Ok, now I’ve done it. I volunteered to go out to the local Shelter and take pictures with my digital camera for the website. They currently use a 35mm camera, have to have them developed and then scanned, and by the time they get to the server, some of the pets are gone, therefore need a faster method. Any suggestions on holding these critters still to photograph? Some of the dogs are pretty rowdy…..I hate to take the pics through the cages, but maybe won’t have a choice. I would love to find someone to volunteer to print a pamphlet monthly, and get it to the public. I would be willing to do the master copy. Any suggestions? Sherry
Response:
I’ve done the photography at the shelter thing, both with a 35 mm and with a digital camera. It’s helpful to have an assistant who holds the animal (or the leash), and if you get legs/arms in the picture that also gives a better idea of the animal’s size. However, I rarely had someone to help me. I was always allowed to open any cages I needed to. Personally, I think pictures of dogs "behind bars" are more heart-tugging, but it was very hard to get a shot of any cat who wouldn’t come to the front of the cage. The dog runs were chain link, and I could sometimes get right up to the chain link and shoot through the gaps. Mostly, though, the dogs came bounding up to the fence whenever they saw a human, and I’d have to back up to shoot. (I very rarely entered a dog run; I have a mild dog phobia, although I found it improved enormously due to the repeated exposure.) I want to warn you that some dogs are frightened by the flash, or by the sound of an autofocus camera refocusing, or by the dot of red light that automatic camera’s shine for focusing/light metering (I’m not sure which it’s for — I have an older model that doesn’t have the little red light). Some will begin to bark or growl as soon as you point a camera at them. I don’t know if these are abused animals, or what, but often I couldn’t get a second shot, because the dog would start barking and/or snarling as soon as I took the first one. If there’s any way you can do this before or after the shelter is open to the public, I’d strongly advise it, unless your shelter gets hardly any visitors. Shooting around people is much more time-consuming. I always took three times as long as anyone else who took photos, waiting to get a "good" pose, but they told me my photos were better than the others. I also used the opportunity to look for signs of illness or aggression, so I could report them to staff. (I once found a cat in the middle of birthing a kitten in the adoption room, which was *not* where near-term moms were supposed to be.) At our shelter, you’re asked to disinfect your hands between each animal you handle to prevent the spread of disease. It’s a good idea, but your shelter may not have the materials available in the rooms where the animals are. A pump bottle of Purell (gel antiseptic, in most grocery stores with the soft soaps) could be handy. It evaporates right off your hands, so you don’t need paper towels with it. You’ll also need clear notes on which animal is in which shot — if there are a lot of animals there’ll be some that you can’t tell apart after you take the photos. I’m not clear on just what the pamphlet is for, but if it’s to show pictures of available animals, a month seems like a long interval, unless you have a no-kill shelter. At my shelter, when I took 35 mm shots and had them developed, I’d come back to see which animals were still there before using the photos. Usually 30-50% of the animals were gone (one way or another) within 2-3 days of taking the pictures. Of course, we only have a 2-business-day holding period before animals can be adopted out or euthanized, as needed. Fortunately, the staff at our shelter do everything they can to keep the animals longer and to place them, and they have a good placement rate compared to many "government" shelters. Anita in Olympia, WA – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Ok, now I’ve done it. I volunteered to go out to the local Shelter and take > pictures with my digital camera for the website. They currently use a 35mm > camera, have to have them developed and then scanned, and by the time they > get to the server, some of the pets are gone, therefore need a faster > method. Any suggestions on holding these critters still to photograph? Some > of the dogs are pretty rowdy…..I hate to take the pics through the cages, > but maybe won’t have a choice. I would love to find someone to volunteer to > print a pamphlet monthly, and get it to the public. I would be willing to do > the master copy. Any suggestions? Sherry
Response:
I thought digital cameras meant that there is no need for film, so that you can load it into your computeras soon as you’re done taking the pictures. One of those digital cameras would be ideal for your purpose. Of course, the better ones are more expensive. But sometimes you can find a decent one on sale. Also, since you’re doing it as a volunteer to a charity, there must be some way to get a tax credit on it. Or, maybe you can get some donations through the shelter for this purpose. As for photographing certain dogs through the cage…if they aren’t real friendly, I think you’d have to do it that way. Just make sure you explain in the brochure that the dog isn’t meant to be a family pet! Erin No animals in my address
Response:
I do have a digital camera, on "better" setting will do about 54 photos, I hope that’s all I will need; our shelter is small but very crowded. This way I can upload directly to the administrator, and save lots of time and paperwork, but I do need an assistant (husbands are good) for writing the info on each animal that will appear with the photo on the website. Special thanks to Anita, your advice was very helpful, and I will print it out and take it with me. I am scared to death!! Wish me luck, we still don’t know when we are going out, will talk to the president of the humane society sometime this week. Sherry
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I thought digital cameras meant that there is no need for film, so that you can > load it into your computeras soon as you’re done taking the pictures. One of > those digital cameras would be ideal for your purpose. Of course, the better > ones are more expensive. But sometimes you can find a decent one on sale. > Also, since you’re doing it as a volunteer to a charity, there must be some way > to get a tax credit on it. Or, maybe you can get some donations through the > shelter for this purpose. As for photographing certain dogs through the > cage…if they aren’t real friendly, I think you’d have to do it that way. > Just make sure you explain in the brochure that the dog isn’t meant to be a > family pet! > Erin > No animals in my address