Here are some tips that can improve the quality of pictures in our publications and help avoid the disappointment of your photos being unsuitable for printing.
Remember to fill the frame with the subject
and use a solid fabric background to avoid destracting elements |
FILL THE FRAME. Always fill the frame. All the photos that we end up refusing for print are too blown out to reproduce. Generally if you take a photo FAR AWAY and crop in on it, you lose photo quality.
This combined with the fact that point-and-shoot digital cameras tend to have flashes with very short distance result in these problems.
Most people do this so they don't intrude on a situation but don't be shy about asking to jump in the mix to get your "shot."
Fill the frame. Not only are you getting closer so that you don't have to crop, but you are better utilizing your flash.
THE HIGHER THE RESOLUTION THE BETTER. When downloading your photos from your camera to share with your friends on the 'net, realize that we cannot use photos that you have resized extensively for print.
While it is recommended you resize everything to 72 DPI and around 600 pixels wide for the net, this won't work for print.
Seat your subjects to reduce unwanted clutter
in the background especially in a show hall. in this case the enviornment of the benching area is of interest |
We need your photos to be submitted with this in mind. SO save the USF version somewhere safe at least 350 DPI and 8 inches wide (horizontal) or 11 inches high (vertical) as a JPG before resizing for the 'net. It makes a huge difference, especially in whether we can run your photos or not. [Editor's note: clearly name the original photo and save at high resolution and then perform a 'save as" and add _email to the end of the name of the photograph so you know at a glance which is the high resolution version and which is low resolution which is suitable for emailing to a list or for the web.]
They won't run that large; however, it will give us the pixels we need to work with the photo for print. Many digital cameras don't let you set the DPI of a photo. Instead, you decide on settings before you take the picture, giving you "small, medium, large," or High Quality or Fine, Medium Quality, etc. Use the highest setting possible, which may mean getting a larger memory card, or being sure to download your images to your computer more often. (Editor's note: please refer to your camera's instruction booklet about how to set the resolution. This can only be performed if your memory card is empty).
GET A LARGE MEMORY CARD. When you're figuring out the budget for your next digital camera, make sure you factor in the purchase of an additional memory card. Why? Because the cards included with your new camera do not typically hold much data.
Find a blank wall to photograph your subject;
the distractions in the background detract from a good portrait |
If you have a 3 mega pixel camera, get at least a 256MB card, 512MBs for 4 mega pixel models, and 1GB for 6 mega pixels and up. Also carry plenty of spare batteries in addition to that spare memory card. (Editor's note: The good news is the price for a 1GB (or more) card has come way down in price!)
HIGH RESOLUTION ALL THE WAY. One of the most important reasons for packing a massive memory card is to enable you to shoot at your camera's highest resolution. If you paid a premium price for a 6 mega pixel (or more) digital camera, then get your money's worth and shoot at 6 mega pixels. And while you're at it, shoot at your camera's highest quality compression setting too.
Stephanie uses a Canon Digital Rebel with 6 Mega pixels and carries two 1 GB cards and one 2 GB card. Karol uses a 10 mega pixel Nikon digital camera and also carries extra memory cards and battery charger.
Why not squeeze more images on your memory card by shooting a lower resolution and low quality compression settings? Because you never know when you're going to capture the next great image of the 21st century. And if you take a beautiful picture at the low 640 x 480 resolution, that means you can only make a print about the size of a credit card.
WHITE BALANCE (Editor's note: Set your camera to the appropriate white balance setting (the light bulb if at home using lamps for light and for florescent light flip through the tubular icons setting while looking at the view finder and choose the color correction that looks most accurate to you. The sun icon is for sunny days; and the sun with the clouds icon is for a cloudy day or shooting in the shade, which casts a blue light. Properly setting your white balance will automatically tell your camera the right exposure necessary to capture a well-exposed photograph. If your camera's white balance is set to a sunny day and you are shooting indoors with tungsten light (lamps) you photo will come out looking blurry and very yucky yellow colored)
UNTOUCHED Please submit your photos without any tubes or text written across them. Photos submitted that have been altered in this fashion can only run as ads.
Seat a large group of subjects in tiers
|
GROUP SHOTS: Group shots are a difficult thing to do as not everyone has the experience and expertise to do one.
Thus with the group shots, it is particularly important that one pay note of the photo structure. When you have around 10-15 people in a photo, layer them in more rows from front to back rather than make one or two extremely LONG rows in the back.
Help make your group FILL the photo.
If there is anything that we took from those elementary school class photos, it should be that. Also be sure that you don't resize the photo down so much, so that people are not even recognizable. If their faces are smaller than a pencil eraser, that isn't good.
BUY GOOD PHOTO EDITING SOFTWARE (Editor's note: I recommend Adobe Elements to start with as it is packed with great easy to use tools for the beginner, while not as robust as PhotoShop it does have everything you will need to edit your photographs and much more at a fraction of the price of Photoshop. You can easily resize, crop, correct the exposure, color balance, brightness and contrast with a click of a few buttons. You can even begin to experiment working in layers so you can learn how to design your own ads. Diana Bowles swears by Microsofts Picture it. So do look around and invest in a software program that will fit your needs.
Choose a color that complements the color of your cat. The best background color should be a contrasting color to that of your cat.
Use a solid matte (not shiny) fabric
as a background to avoid the color of the fabric to reflect back onto your subject as it does here |
Keep the background of your subject simple! (Editor's note: scout out locations or create simple uncluttered backgrounds for your subject. If at a show, ask your subject or group to stand against a plain wall or seat in front of benching area framed by cage curtains. This way you will avoid poles, signs or strangers with strang expressions cluttering an otherwise good photo. When photographing your cat or kitten at home arrange a two yard or larger piece of fabric on a sofa or against a wall on a table. It is best if your fabric is medium in tone and has a matte finish. If the fabric is shiny the color will reflect back onto the cat, which is not a good thing! Use a complimentary color (green, purple and blue are good choices--avoid white or black). The point is you want your subject to be the most important you see when you look at the photograph. You want to avoid anything that might detract or be visually distracting.
Do not photograph a white cat against a black background, or a black cat against a white background as the contrast will be too great to get a good photograph with details. (Editor's note: Also avoid photographing a white cat against a white background. If you choose to do so you must increase your camera's aperture or shutter speed two stops (settings)and overexpose the image to get the detail you need. Thus if your camera's meter reads F6 (aperture) and your shutter speed 200; set your camera to shutter priority and increase the shutter speed to 400 or 600)
Fill the frame and capture good
interaction between the subjects |
The most flattering light is natural light but NOT direct sunlight. Choosing a location near a window that can provide some natural light (backlighting) will improve the look of your photos. (Editor's note: avoid direct sunlight such as the case of the photo above; notice how one side of the face of the kitten is blown out by the harsh sunlight streaming in the window behind the kitten. Diffuse but bright light is always preferable.)
The harshest light is thrown by a flash. This can be counteracted by setting up the light source behind the photographer and draping the cat with the light indirectly. Flash won't need to go off if its light isn't needed.
If you MUST use a flash, try to have the shadow from the flash fall directly behind the cat and try to have the background far away from the cat to soften the shadow and help it blend into the background.
FOCUS (Editor's note: A well exposed and composed photo must be in sharp focus. One can take phenominal photo, but if the focus is off and the subject is blurry, the picture is ruined. Remember to depress the shutter release button (the one you press to take the picture) half way to engage your camera's auto focus. Also check your composition before you press the button all of the way to snap the photo. One can focus lock on the subject (press buton half way) and move the composition right or left and the subject will remain in focus. Most auto focus cameras have the metering/focus centered in the middle of the field of view. A photo in sharp focus is of paramount importance.he USGF Quarterly will not publish any photos that are not in sharp focus.
TAKE MULTIPLE PHOTOS AND MOVE AROUND YOUR SUBJECT (Editor's note: You can take as many photos as your memory card will hold, so snap away! This way you will have several to choose from and find your best shot and just delete the oops'. Also move around your subject a bit to take photos from different angles. Towering above your subject will diminish your subject and taken from below will elevate. Also move your subject to get different angles and greater motion captured in your photograph; this way you will avoid the static straight on mug shot. Many professional animal photographers will place the animal with its back to the camera and then quickly snap the photo as the animal turns to the front. This way your photo captures the dynamics of motion and is more interesting and natural.
The above was compiled by Stephanie Ujhelyi and Adriana Blandford
with the assistance of Sara Evans. (Editor's notes: added where indicated by Karol Cummins)
Download any existing photographs on your memory card
Consult your instruction booklet and set your camera to High Quality or Fine Resolution
Pack spare memory card (1 GB) and batteries and/or charger
Set your white balance setting before starting to take the photographs
Get close to your subject and fill the frame of the camera
Group shots: get close and asked everyone to assemble in tiered rows
Photograph your subject against a solid or plainest background possible
Download your images from your camera to your computer
Name your keeper photos clearly and save in a folder you can find easily
Save a high and a low resolution copies of your keeper photos
Send your high resolution (300 dpi- 8" x 10") keeper photos to the USGF for publication
Send your low resolution (72 dpi 4" x 5") keeper photos to the USGF for the USGF website and to the lists
Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!
Enjoy and share your beautiful photographs!
