10 years, 5 months ago-
Posts
-
-
A Happy Monday to all of you!
Carol is out of town and asked if I could post on her behalf this week.
We all know that high quality images rule the internet. If we see a really great picture of a dog, cat, bunny, Chinchilla, or pet pig we are likely to share it, like it, repin it, or comment on it. Whether you are a Blogger or Micro Blogger the images you share really makes the difference between a little bit of engagement and viral potential. Do you put a lot of thought into the images that you share?
My questions to all of you are:
How do you capture those images? (inside, outside, a backdrop, spur of the moment, staged?)
What equipment do you use in order to take those pictures?
What lengths do you go to in order to get those images?
-
How I capture my images depends on what I am taking a picture of. If I am taking pictures of Davinia and Indiana I try to rely completely on natural light. By using natural light I have a better chance of the picture being vibrant. Most of my pictures are spur of the moment. I prefer outdoor pictures to indoor ones but sometimes that just isn’t possible so I will open the blinds turn off any lights in the room
Before I (finally) got an iPhone a few weeks ago I was replying very heavily on a Digital SLR in order to capture images. Since my iPhone most of the images I have taken and used have been with the native camera on the iPhone.
In all honesty I usually allow Kodak moments to happen naturally. Even though Davinia and Indiana know certain commands getting them to do it when I have the camera out tends to be an exercise in frustration for me. and the pictures don’t turn out as well as if I had just waited for it to happen on its own.
-
I take a lot of pictures and am developing a collection to use on the blog.
I used to get really upset abut not taking decent pictures but I remember reading somehting by a fashion photographer (David Bailey I think). Who said he could shoot a whole reel of film and only get one picture he thought was good enough.
This taught me that if the experts generate a lot of images, it’s OK for me to take a lot that are NOT OK and I will take some that I want to keep and use – not everything has to be perfect every time.
-
I will either use my Nikon camera or my iphone camera. If they are pictures of pets I usually just snap away. If it’s product or inanimate objects I take a lot more time trying to set it up. I would love some suggestions for backdrop on these type items to help prevent glare, what would attract someone attention, etc.
-
Kimberly I am glad I am not the only one that uses (and ADMITS to using) Picmonkey! I love it. Another good one is http://www.ribbet.com …..Mary Hone of the blog Roxy the Traveling Dog, did a great review the other day of the camera phone that she uses that is making me want to get rid of my iphone (since that is what I predominantly use for photos)…here is the link to her review: http://roxythetravelingdog.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/ I have been a long time admirer of photos that she has on her blog, I was shocked and THRILLED to learn that she has recently been taking them with a camera from a phone!
Kimberly Gauthier said:
I used to put tons of thought into my images, but now I just snap away, because what may seem like a bad shot today, turns into a great shot once I get it into PicMonkey.
I use a DSLR and a point and shoot – just depends on the day. I used to have a photo studio at home, but it’s now my office and I’ve traded my backdrops for other things.
I sometimes use my camera phone, but it’s not great. I can’t wait to upgrade!!!
-
I have a camera, actually a really nice camera, but these days, I tend to take too many pictures with my iPhone and not enough with the camera. (Confession: I packed it over three months ago and haven’t yet unpacked it at the new house.)
90% of my photos of the dogs are candid, but we do have our odd staged moments. We keep practicing in the hopes that eventually, I can have a nice photo shoot with these yahoos. I’m not above bribery, giving commands and obtaining a helper to get a shot I really want!
-
I do too….try http://www.ribbet.com also, that is another good one 🙂
Kimberly Gauthier said:Oh yeah. I used to pay hundred for editing software and it just ate up my computer’s memory and I didn’t use all the features. When I realized I could get nearly the same effects with PicMonkey, Lightroom came off my computer. Maybe I’ll go back when I have time to actually learn it, but for now, PM is perfect. Plus with Pinterest, PM allows me to make the images that get repinned quickly and easily. I just created 2 buttons for my site in minutes. Love it!
Caren Osrin Gittleman said:
Kimberly I am glad I am not the only one that uses (and ADMITS to using) Picmonkey! I love it. Another good one is http://www.ribbet.com …..Mary Hone of the blog Roxy the Traveling Dog, did a great review the other day of the camera phone that she uses that is making me want to get rid of my iphone (since that is what I predominantly use for photos)…here is the link to her review: http://roxythetravelingdog.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/ I have been a long time admirer of photos that she has on her blog, I was shocked and THRILLED to learn that she has recently been taking them with a camera from a phone!
-
I am with Jodi,
I used to use my “high end” camera, but now it’s almost exclusively my IPhone. There are a ton of apps for the IPhone to photoshop, which I am using more and more of or I will use my trusty photo shop program on my computer. I just downed loaded a video app called Splice and I had well over 300 hits on my FB page to watch a silly little video I put up there. For some reason my Word Press is now telling me all my videos are over the GB limit. Last week I tried in vain to tweak it and WP still won’t let me upload.
I am an armature photographer and artist so I use mainly my own photos. I will say people are drawn to photos as an example: I have three Pugs and someone compiled a Buzzfeed photo scroll of Pugs and it went viral. Anyway I was scrolling through it and to my utter surprise, the photo of my Pug as a Scuba Diver is in there!! Funny, good Photos do work. -
michelle you can try picmonkey.com for photo editing and http://www.ribbet.com for editing…super easy and has many of the same things that PhotoShop has and most of it is FREE
michelle rouse said:
I am with Jodi,
I used to use my “high end” camera, but now it’s almost exclusively my IPhone. There are a ton of apps for the IPhone to photoshop, which I am using more and more of or I will use my trusty photo shop program on my computer. I just downed loaded a video app called Splice and I had well over 300 hits on my FB page to watch a silly little video I put up there. For some reason my Word Press is now telling me all my videos are over the GB limit. Last week I tried in vain to tweak it and WP still won’t let me upload.
I am an armature photographer and artist so I use mainly my own photos. I will say people are drawn to photos as an example: I have three Pugs and someone compiled a Buzzfeed photo scroll of Pugs and it went viral. Anyway I was scrolling through it and to my utter surprise, the photo of my Pug as a Scuba Diver is in there!! Funny, good Photos do work. -
How do you capture those images?
All of the above. All of the pack photos I take are outdoors but I take tons of pictures of Kayo wherever we are. When it comes to taking pictures for sponsored gigs, I think a lot about those and try and stage them as best I can. Some work out better than others. I tried a staged one for Diamond Naturals in a pet food store but the lighting was terrible and Kayo was nervous about the sound of the food falling in the bag! ;0) But I take a lot of spur of the moment shots while we’re out.
What equipment do you use in order to take those pictures?
I was using a DSLR camera for a lot of my pack shots since the dogs are moving so fast, but it was stolen last week. ;0( I uses my iPhone a lot too so I’ll continue using that for now.
What lengths do you go to in order to get those images?
Whatever lengths I need to! Patience mostly – sometimes I have to stand frozen in an awkward position to capture a dog doing something specific. I mostly have to be patient and sometimes look ridiculous!
-
Oh my goodness! Did you leave the camera somewhere or did someone break in and steal it? I hope that you get it back.
BoingyDog said:
How do you capture those images?
All of the above. All of the pack photos I take are outdoors but I take tons of pictures of Kayo wherever we are. When it comes to taking pictures for sponsored gigs, I think a lot about those and try and stage them as best I can. Some work out better than others. I tried a staged one for Diamond Naturals in a pet food store but the lighting was terrible and Kayo was nervous about the sound of the food falling in the bag! ;0) But I take a lot of spur of the moment shots while we’re out.
What equipment do you use in order to take those pictures?
I was using a DSLR camera for a lot of my pack shots since the dogs are moving so fast, but it was stolen last week. ;0( I uses my iPhone a lot too so I’ll continue using that for now.
What lengths do you go to in order to get those images?
Whatever lengths I need to! Patience mostly – sometimes I have to stand frozen in an awkward position to capture a dog doing something specific. I mostly have to be patient and sometimes look ridiculous!
-
I think I’ve done all (inside,outside,backdrop,spur of the moment,and staged). Some pictures I try to get specifically to go with a post. Other times I might just be taking pictures and when i need a picture for a post I go through what I’ve taken.
I use a DSLR. I want to take a class to be able to use all the features and not just the automatic setting. But I would also like to get a smart phone because if I am just going for a walk or to an event, it’s a pain in the butt to haul the DSLR around. Maybe in the Spring.
I use GIMP for my photo editing. It a free program similar to PhotoShop.
-
Thanks Felissa! I was on my way to do a project with a group of dogs and had my computer, camera and wallet in my bag. I had to run out of the car to pick something up and someone opened my car and got the entire bag. The police said thieves these days have skeleton keys for a lot of older Hondas and Toyotas. They think someone watched me leave the car, opened up the door and left casually. Crazy, right?!
Felissa Elfenbein said:
Oh my goodness! Did you leave the camera somewhere or did someone break in and steal it? I hope that you get it back.
-
That really really stinks. I really hate that people think they can just take things that don’t belong to them.
BoingyDog said:
Thanks Felissa! I was on my way to do a project with a group of dogs and had my computer, camera and wallet in my bag. I had to run out of the car to pick something up and someone opened my car and got the entire bag. The police said thieves these days have skeleton keys for a lot of older Hondas and Toyotas. They think someone watched me leave the car, opened up the door and left casually. Crazy, right?!
Felissa Elfenbein said:
Oh my goodness! Did you leave the camera somewhere or did someone break in and steal it? I hope that you get it back.
-
I use my iPhone 5 to take photos now and was using a Canon PowerShot A560. The advantage of the iPhone is that photos are hi rez, can be texted to customers (I’m a pet sitter), and be uploaded to Twitter and Facebook immediately. One advantage of the Canon is that I could take photos of myself with pets using the 10-second timer. I don’t have a DSLR because I prefer a lightweight, easy-to-use camera, although I know I’m sacrificing quality and possibilities.
When I was serious about photography I went to great lengths with my SLR. Now, not as much. Because of arthritis in my knees, I’m not as flexible as I used to be. I take a lot of photos. I often shoot blind to get pics at pet eye level. I probably “publish” (FB, Twitter, Pinterest, blog, give to pet owner)1 out of every 20-30 photos, if not more. I stage some photos, but with animals it rarely works. I try to let animals move naturally and do my best. The iPhone is great for giving enough light to not need flash. I rarely use flash. I took the photo of myself and Ovie with the iPhone, fairly blind; this was the best out of about 10 shots. Technically, it’s not good but I like its mood.
I often take photos of items in a pet’s life (leashes, dog or cat trinkets, close up of ear or toenails, etc.) to add to an album.
You can see some of my photos on Pinterest: http://www.Pinterest.com/EmmySits
-
I have a point and shoot that I always try to use, but most of my spur of the moment images are captured with my phone camera. My best photos are taken outside, I think.
I LOVE PicMonkey! I love it so much, that I have the “royal” version and think it’s well worth it. About a month ago, I purchased Photoshop Elements but still find myself using Picmonkey all the time… I haven’t learned a ton about Photoshop since I’ve had it and am able to edit my photos faster most of the time in PicMonkey.
-
Ann I have the royal version too 🙂 Try http://www.ribbet.com also, there are waaay more stickers, etc than PicMonkey has.
Ann Staub said:
I have a point and shoot that I always try to use, but most of my spur of the moment images are captured with my phone camera. My best photos are taken outside, I think.
I LOVE PicMonkey! I love it so much, that I have the “royal” version and think it’s well worth it. About a month ago, I purchased Photoshop Elements but still find myself using Picmonkey all the time… I haven’t learned a ton about Photoshop since I’ve had it and am able to edit my photos faster most of the time in PicMonkey.
-
Can you describe a little more about what these programs do? Do you need both? Cost, etc.
Caren Osrin Gittleman said:Ann I have the royal version too 🙂 Try http://www.ribbet.com also, there are waaay more stickers, etc than PicMonkey has.
Ann Staub said:
I have a point and shoot that I always try to use, but most of my spur of the moment images are captured with my phone camera. My best photos are taken outside, I think.
I LOVE PicMonkey! I love it so much, that I have the “royal” version and think it’s well worth it. About a month ago, I purchased Photoshop Elements but still find myself using Picmonkey all the time… I haven’t learned a ton about Photoshop since I’ve had it and am able to edit my photos faster most of the time in PicMonkey.
-
Hi Anna, you should go and poke around in them. They have many of the effects that PhotoShop has but for novices like me, but for technologically challenged people like me (and pros), these sites offer many similar features. Both sites have features that you can use for free that are great, but you can upgrade for a nominal fee. They are sites where you can play with your photos, adding frames, special effects, etc…stickers, etc., etc.
Dr. Anna M. Coffin said:Can you describe a little more about what these programs do? Do you need both? Cost, etc.
Caren Osrin Gittleman said:Ann I have the royal version too 🙂 Try http://www.ribbet.com also, there are waaay more stickers, etc than PicMonkey has.
Ann Staub said:
I have a point and shoot that I always try to use, but most of my spur of the moment images are captured with my phone camera. My best photos are taken outside, I think.
I LOVE PicMonkey! I love it so much, that I have the “royal” version and think it’s well worth it. About a month ago, I purchased Photoshop Elements but still find myself using Picmonkey all the time… I haven’t learned a ton about Photoshop since I’ve had it and am able to edit my photos faster most of the time in PicMonkey.
-
Sometimes I hop on Ribbet when I can’t find the perfect sticker in Picmonkey.
And Anna, the price is cheap. I’m paying 5 bucks a month for a premium version. But I think you could get it cheaper if you paid for several months or one year all at once. I think Caren describes them perfectly. The best way to figure them out is to go play with them.
Caren Osrin Gittleman said:
Ann I have the royal version too 🙂 Try http://www.ribbet.com also, there are waaay more stickers, etc than PicMonkey has.
Ann Staub said:
I have a point and shoot that I always try to use, but most of my spur of the moment images are captured with my phone camera. My best photos are taken outside, I think.
I LOVE PicMonkey! I love it so much, that I have the “royal” version and think it’s well worth it. About a month ago, I purchased Photoshop Elements but still find myself using Picmonkey all the time… I haven’t learned a ton about Photoshop since I’ve had it and am able to edit my photos faster most of the time in PicMonkey.
-
-
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.