Photographing children and pets can be one of the most challenging projects for an amateur to tackle. The number one mistake that people make when taking pictures of pets or children is to complete the activity without any prior planning. Instead, we recommend a little preparation in order to pull off the shoot with as little frustration as possible. By following the tips offered in this article, even the casual point-and-shoot photographer can obtain pictures that get compliments from family and friends alike.

Interact in Natural Environment
The first rule of children and pet photography is to get them to interact in their natural environment.  Give the children their favorite toy or take them to the local playground for some fun on the merry-go-round or swings.  By putting kids in an environment that they associate with fun, the photographer will immediately be rewarded with shots in which the subjects look relaxed and "natural".

Another tactic is to give the child a mentally challenging task.  Depending on the age of the youngster, this may range from building blocks to a puzzle.  As the little one is mentally stimulated and challenged, they will sit in one place, thereby giving the photographer more opportunity to capture the moment.

As for pets, their natural environment may be napping on their favorite pillow, playing with their toys, having some fun with their scratching post, or simply running around the yard playing fetch. As any pet owner knows, pets have as unique personalities as humans, so what each pet enjoys will vary from one to the other.

Shoot Outside
Shooting outside is always preferable because the light will fall more naturally on the subject. If pictures must be taken inside, avoid taking frontal shots with the flash. Not only will the flash be a distraction to the subjects, but the resulting red eye in the photo will be annoying. Also, keep in mind that using software to remove red eye from a cat or dog is much more difficult than for a human.

Early Morning and Late Afternoon Shooting
When shooting outside, it is best to have the photo session take place either early in the morning or in the late afternoon. Since the sun will be lower on the horizon at both of these times, the light will hit the subjects at a more horizontal angle, thereby reducing the dark spots under eyes, noses, and baseball caps. If shooting at these times is not possible, remember to always consider where the sun is in relation to the subject's face.

Make Use of Unique Angles
Shooting from unique angles often give pictures a dynamic element which is perfect for pets and children who are always on the move. Some unique angles include:

• Consider lying down on the ground so as to be below the subject
• Get a shot of a child on a swing by capturing them as they swing back down
  
• Get a side profile picture of a pet. Figure 1 shows how this can make for a unique point of view.
• Get in the center of a merry go round and take a picture of a child on the outside. Play with the settings to make the background a little blurry.
• Ask someone play catch with a dog; this frees up the photographer to focus on the camera only.

Involvement
It can be a fun for kids to learn about how pictures are being taken. Explain some of the technical details to them (pointing, zoom, review, etc).  Of course how much technical information they can absorb will depend on their age and general level of interest.

Technical Details
If using a simple point-and-shoot camera, the automatic settings will probably work fine. If using an SLR camera, remember to adjust one setting at a time in order to learn what effect each setting change has on the photograph.  Since it might take some time to learn all the settings, we recommend doing this before actually trying to take pictures. Trying to manage a pet or child while figuring out camera settings during a shoot is at times a recipe for frustration.

Burst Mode
Many cameras now come with burst modes in which 5, 10, or more shots are taken in rapid succession.  These can be very useful when taking pictures of ever-moving objects.  However, be careful with this mode because it is easy to fill a memory card in just a a few short minutes. In addition, going through all of the pictures at the a computer is not a particularly enjoyable task.

Finally, always remember to keep a sense of humor. Taking pictures of pets or children is something that even seasoned professionals struggle with. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a brake. As the age-old wisdom goes, if you're not having fun, you're not doing it right.

Happy Framing!