Pete and tricks for shooting in sunlight

So, I've had a couple people point out that I haven't taken a lot of pictures of Pete lately. Mainly because he's been kind of sickly. He had some tummy problems last month, and then got F-I-X-E-D, and had some complications and had to wear the cone of shame for 2 weeks. So he has had it kind of rough.

But, as I mentioned on my pro-blog, I had to order a replacement lens because the motor in one of our old ones went out, so I figured he would be a good subject to test out. And as I was looking at the photos I took, I noticed that I had several different types of lighting situations in our back yard, and the different effects it gave.

And I have to note: this is big for me. I don't really love any of these pics, other than the fact that they are of sweet Pete. And I rarely show anything but my best pics, but I thought this was a good lesson.

So, first I was being lazy and just snapping a few to make sure it worked. So I was in bright, direct sun:

Yes, even Pete does not like direct sunlight. And usually whomever you are taking pictures of won't like it either. Not only is it pretty unflattering, its tough to keep you eyes open. Exhibit A above.

So, next I moved him to an area on the porch shaded by the house. Colors are more vibrant, and you get a much more even light.

Now, I've told Pete that he looks like a hyena when he holds his ears back like that. But apparently he doesn't trust me, so I took a photo to prove it to him.

Now, on a normal basis I would be happy with the pic above (minus the hyena-ness). But I couldn't get him to stay, so I had to move to plan C to get him to loosen up. His new favorite toy, basketball on a rope.

What I did for this photo was expose for his face-- meaning I changed the settings on my camera to make sure his face was correctly exposed. It blew out the background, which some photographers would say is a no-no, but it doesn't bother me. And I like the nice soft look it gives the picture.

That's all I've got kids. See you next time :)