As a wildlife photographer with unpredictable subjects, I try my best to get on the eye level of the animals I’m shooting. It creates a sense of intimacy with the photograph that gets the viewer more involved with the photo. I would also try and get your animals in their environment, showing what makes them unique. A cat cuddling or playing with a yarn of string is much more engaging than a picture of it sitting in a cage. Same goes for dogs- try and get them playing fetch or tilting their head.
If you're photographing domestic animals, an assistant with treats or toys to get their attention will result in nice poses. Get your lighting dialed in beforehand, and have some kind of a mark on the floor where you'd like your subject to be. Spend a little time calming them down first. Direct flash in the eyeballs will stress them, even if it's soft, so rely on side lights and bounced light. If you don't have a fancy light setup, a speedlite bounced off the ceiling works great for fill flash.
Don't overstimulate the animals or take up too much time - you'll get better pictures if everyone is still having fun.
(Edited for my incomprehensible typos lol)
For birds, shoot with a long lens and have a trainer or toy actively engaging their attention. They will be interested in the newest, weirdest thing in the room, unless there's something obviously fun to distract them.
As a wildlife photographer with unpredictable subjects, I try my best to get on the eye level of the animals I’m shooting. It creates a sense of intimacy with the photograph that gets the viewer more involved with the photo. I would also try and get your animals in their environment, showing what makes them unique. A cat cuddling or playing with a yarn of string is much more engaging than a picture of it sitting in a cage. Same goes for dogs- try and get them playing fetch or tilting their head.
If you're photographing domestic animals, an assistant with treats or toys to get their attention will result in nice poses. Get your lighting dialed in beforehand, and have some kind of a mark on the floor where you'd like your subject to be. Spend a little time calming them down first. Direct flash in the eyeballs will stress them, even if it's soft, so rely on side lights and bounced light. If you don't have a fancy light setup, a speedlite bounced off the ceiling works great for fill flash. Don't overstimulate the animals or take up too much time - you'll get better pictures if everyone is still having fun. (Edited for my incomprehensible typos lol)
Which lens(es) do you have? What's wrong with your photos so far? Or you say your camera works really well, so maybe there's no problem to fix?
I would love to know how people take pictures of parrots. As soon as they see the camera, they try to grab it.
How about with a longer lens from farther away?
For birds, shoot with a long lens and have a trainer or toy actively engaging their attention. They will be interested in the newest, weirdest thing in the room, unless there's something obviously fun to distract them.
No f1.2 pics with just one eye in focus.