Photographing Your Bunnies

Setting the stage for your picture is one of the most important things to consider.  The setting you choose can bring out the beauty of your animal and make or break your photo.  Here's where you can let your creative juices flow a little and have some fun, too.

    If you are setting up an indoor set, the best arrangement seems to be to have a base, or foreground, and then a separate backdrop that falls behind.   Of course you can also just throw a sheet over the show table and the back of a chair, but the resulting wrinkles and folds in the sheet are distracting and don't make the most professional result.  I try to have my backdrop fabric hang straight down behind my base, making sure the backdrop is wide enough that I won't see the edges of the fabric in the final photo.  This also gives you a nice clean "horizon line" in the picture, where the base meets the backdrop. 

    When using a fabric or solid background, it's probably best to stay rather neutral if you want the main focus to be on the animal.  Lots of pattern or clutter will distract the viewer's eye from the subject.  A good rule of thumb is, the more color or pattern an animal has, the simpler should be the background.  Solid-colored animals, though, might even benefit from a little pattern or design on the background, to keep the photo from being boring.  (Also, when you are taking pictures for a web site, consider that the more detail in a photo, the longer it will take for someone with a slower computer to load it.  You don't want them to get tired of waiting for your photo and leave your site.  See "Web site design", below). 

    When shooting outdoors, analyze your background landscape and try not to have telephone poles sprouting out of the bunny's head or rusted junk cars just behind it's back.  It always surprises me how we don't see the way things really look until they come out on film!

    Normally it's best to have the base or foreground color match the background.  Again, the idea is to present a fairly neutral background so that the rabbit itself will be the main focus.  Sometimes I do like to use an object for the bunny to sit upon to add interest.  One of my favorites indoors is an overturned basket... the wicker is a neutral color but adds texture and interest to the photo.

   Outside, I like to set the bunny on a large flat rock.  Again, neutral color, but texture and interest.  (The smaller area of these bases also discourages the bunny from moving!) 

Color   

    When choosing a color for your set, consider the color of the rabbit and try to choose something that will complement.  White animals need colors that are a little brighter or darker.  Black animals will disappear on a dark background but pop on turquoise or light blue.  Red or chestnut looks great on tan.  Tan or buff-colored animals would look splendid on red or the right shade of green.  Do a little experimenting and find the shade that you think will bring out the beauty of your bunny.

    If you are shooting inside, you will need to provide lighting from different angles to help avoid shadows in your background and to illuminate the subject.  At the very least, set up one light that spots the rabbit from where you will be standing and just above your camera angle, and one that spots the rabbit from the side (the side the bunny's face will be on) and above your camera angle.  This will diminish the shadow cast by the front light.  You could set up lights on both sides to further diminish shadows.  In addition you'll probably want to use your flash, depending on the quality of light you've provided in the set.  Many of the better cameras have a little window that will tell you if the picture will require a flash.  Digital cameras are great, because you can try it with and without a flash and then see which works best in review.

    When using indoor lighting, we've found florescent lighting to work best.  We tried halogen lights, and they cast a tint on the photo, as did household bulbs.  You can clip lights to stepladders, chairs, or wood moldings to hold them in the position you want.

    The best lighting is achieved by shooting outdoors.  Early morning and late afternoon are my favorite times, because the light can be quite beautiful and is coming in at an angle to illuminate the subject.  Pictures taken in the brighter light of noonday tend to be harsher with more pronounced shadows.  Be certain to position your bunny so that the light is behind you (or over your shoulder) as you shoot, not behind the bunny, to avoid getting a "silhouette" effect.  Be aware of casting your own shadow on the subject if the sun is directly behind you.  Here again you will probably want to use your flash (yes, even outdoors) to fill in shadows. 

    Black or white animals are harder to photograph.  With blacks, especially, it's easy to lose the details and end up with what looks like a black blob in the photo.  Use of a flash will help considerably to bring out the details of the face and fur and minimize shadows.  All-white animals may look better if they are actually a little underexposed, giving more shadow and depth to the fur and body and keeping them from looking like a ghost.  I love my photo editor software that lets me play with the contrast and brightness of my photos, especially when working with blacks or whites.

    We use only a digital camera now, as most of our photos are intended to go up on the web site.  However, if you are using a regular camera, most of the advice I've seen is to use a fast film (400 speed or higher) for the best quality pictures.  I believe the faster films will also allow you to shoot without a flash in more situations.

    The rule of thumb is to shoot at the animal's eye level.  This gives the best angle for the photo.  If you are outdoors and Fluffy is sitting on a rock, then that means lying down on your stomach to get the shot.  Just check for ant hills first. ("Ouch!")  And dog doo. ("Yuck!") 

    Get as close to the subject as you can without losing detail.  Usually I'm within 3 or 4 feet of the bunny.   If you get too far away from your subject, the bunny will seem "lost" in the picture.  If your camera has a "macro" or "landscape" selection, make sure it's on macro (for close-up photos).

    Try taking some shots from different angles... move around.  A three-quarter shot might turn out great (especially if you want to emphasize an excellent head or ears) and would be a break from the same old side shots we all do. 

    Try putting the bunny off-center in the photo.  This is especially nice if you have an interesting landscape or background when shooting outdoors.  It tends to give the photo more movement and life, and again is more interesting than the traditional "gun-sight" composition.

    Well, when you figure that out, give me a call!  Most rabbits are not very cooperative about having their pictures taken.  Usually you have about the first ninety seconds after you set the bunny on the set for it to be startled enough to sit still... after that the nose starts sniffing and the eyes start looking and Fluffy is off to explore this new situation.

    I've heard of people squeaking a dog toy or (this is weird...) sucking the back of their hand to make a frightened-rabbit sound that will make the rabbit freeze, but we haven't tried that here.  I usually have several rabbits sitting in carrying cages at the site waiting to have their picture taken, and I don't want them all to think that they're going to be eaten when they come out.  No, we just plop them on a rock and shoot fast before they start getting too comfy.

    Don't get too frustrated if Fluffy won't hold perfectly still in a full-side shot like you planned...  take some pics as he moves around.  Sometimes the best pictures are the ones that show the animal being itself.  They are more life-like than the traditional "stuffed-rabbit" pose.

    I am by no means an expert on web sites or computers, but there are a few things I've learned to do that might help someone else who's starting out...

    When you are using your photos for a web site it really helps to have a good photo editing software.  You are then able to crop the pictures and get rid of the rusty old truck in the background you hadn't noticed before, or brighten a dark picture, or darken an overexposed picture. 

    Another important thing to consider is to "condense"  your photo before putting it on your site, so that it doesn't take up as much space and will be faster to load for people with slower computers.  Your digital camera probably has a selection for "quality" of photo, and you can set that lower and get somewhat the same result as condensing them on your computer. 

Try not to have too many photos on any one page so that people can load them faster.  Rather than placing your entire herd on one page, for instance, consider making a directory so that they can choose to view bucks, or does, or separate breeds, etc.