There are about three pet photography options these days. People ask us all the time how we take such nice photos, what are our tricks, what can they do to take better photos, etc. First off, Mom is nowhere near a professional photographer, but she loves taking photos, and it is a big hobby for her. She started out when she was about seven years old with a camera using some antiques called flash cubes, and film. The world has changed since then, that is for sure.
In 2022, people have three basic options for taking pictures – phone cameras, point and shoot cameras, and DSLR cameras. Each device has good and bad points and not all three varieties are the right choice for everyone. Today I want to discuss each one briefly and in the next couple weeks, go more into depth with each camera option.
Cellphone Cameras
The first option which is probably the most popular thing to use these days is the cellphone camera. Every smartphone has one. Some are better than others, and the cameras have improved over time. If you are looking for quality photos, however, these photos are not going to please you.
Pros:
- Pretty much everyone has a smartphone, thus, also a camera
- Easy to carry with you
- Very basic and easy to use
- Cameras are getting better and have more options
- They make posting to social media very easy
- Smartphone cameras make videos a breeze
Cons:
- Many have no way for you to adjust settings
- Photos are often blurry, especially in motion shots
- Low pixel counts make photos grainy
- The quality is not good, especially for printing
Point & Shoot Cameras
The point and shoot cameras are a mix between the simplicity of a smartphone camera and a DSLR. If you are not extremely picky about the quality of your photos, they are a good option.
Pros:
- The cameras are often small and easy to carry
- Point & shoot cameras are not very expensive
- Photo resolution is better than a smartphone camera
- These photos look alright when printed as long as the print is not too big
- There are options for the type of photo you would like to shoot
- Some offer video which is a higher quality than smartphone video
- Large depth of field, so the entire frame will be in focus
Cons:
- Still fairly low quality photos with less pixels than a DSLR
- No way to adjust settings in the different modes
- You can’t set your preferred depth of field
- Blurry action shots
- These cameras use flash in darker settings
DSLR Cameras
If your goal is really nice photos, then a DSLR camera is your best option. Mom started with a basic model that came with a free class back in 2012. She upgraded to a better model in 2015. In 2018, she upgraded to a full frame DSLR. DSLR cameras are expensive as are the lenses, but if you like photography, it is the camera to have. The pet photography options are amazing and you can create gorgeous photos. If you are not prepared to learn to shoot in manual mode, don’t bother with a DSLR as the results won’t be much better than those of a point & shoot camera.
Pros:
- Top quality images with plenty of pixels
- Perfect for printing, even large prints
- You can adjust all your photo settings to create the photo you would like
- The camera can be adjusted for dark or light situations
- Adjust the depth of field to make your subject stand out
- Purchase lenses to support the types of photos you would like to take
- More editing options by choosing RAW over JPG
Cons:
- DSLR cameras are a lot more expensive, but also are a good investment
- They tend to be bulky and weigh more
- Not as practical as a smartphone or point & shoot when it comes to carrying them along
- A camera bag is often needed to carry your lenses with you
- Your camera will need professional cleaning every so often
- Users need to learn to use a DSLR in manual mode
Pet Photography Options Conclusions
It is pretty simple to decide which photo option is for you. There is a huge difference in photo quality between smartphone cameras, point & shoot cameras and DSLR cameras. If you don’t care, or can’t see a difference, stick with your phone. If you want better photos but are not into learning to use a DSLR, then go with the point and shoot. Action shots will be blurry, but if you don’t mind it isn’t an issue. For those of you who want the best possible photos, try a DSLR, even a basic model will get you on the road to better photos of your pets.
Next week we will look at some differences in photo quality between the three options. Great photos make us all happy here at our house!
My GBGV Life is happy, so we’re joining Comedy Plus for Happy Tuesday!
ok how cute are these photos! We love the beret Madison. Tres French and tres cool! Awesome post. The cell phone is so convenient but isn’t the best quality — for sure! We can’t wait to see next week’s post with the difference in the pictures. Have a great day. Your friend LIlly
Thank you. It is my French look since I’m a French hound. We have noticed that these days many people don’t seem to think they need a “real” camera, but there really is a big difference in photos.
Very nice summary introduction to photography. Our Mom uses a point and shoot to catch us doing things. Not sure who she shares those photos with, but we like the attention.
We love doing photos with our mom. If she picks up the camera on her desk, we all come running.
Thank you for our education today. It’s a lot to digest. XOXO Sparkle
Taking photos isn’t always as simple as people think it is.
It doesn’t matter what I use my photographs are awful. I just don’t have the proper gene for taking great photographs. Bugger. You’ve nailed it though.
Thank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. Scritches all around and my best to your mom. ♥
It isn’t something everyone loves to do or is good at. That’s alright because you are amazing at other things.
Your mom takes awesome photos and thank you for posting all of the pros and cons of the different kinds of cameras.
These days everyone just uses a phone but there are still other ways and some are better than others for the right people.
We love the photos on your blog! Mom would love to photoshop some of them into watercolors they are so well composed. We have used point and shoot in the past, but the new iPhone 12 takes better pictures than the old point and shoot so we use it. We do have a DSL Camera, but Mom does not understand all the settings, our human brother takes magnificent photos with it though!
Mom used her first DSLR camera with training wheels for a good year before she started using only manual mode. She still wishes she was better at it, but practice makes perfect. The editing is the bigger struggle for her.
Madison, what a refreshing topic! I didn’t know you knew so much about cameras. Your mom is lucky to have you along for shoots. Mom used to have a Pentax screw mount SLR and did pretty good with all the jargon and to lenses. It got too cumbersome, and she got a DSLR. Then cell phones got better and are mostly good enough. Her brother inherited the fancy gear for his photography work/shop.
Phones are just easy and we use ours more than we would like but convenience often wins out in the battles.
Great tips for anyone ready to step up from their smartphones to the next level or vise versa. I have Nikon D7000 which has all but forgotten since the Pandemic hit. I have a very old Canon point n’ shoot which I use even less than my big girl camera. These days, my iPhone 8 is my go-to-camera. The built in Apple camera app works well as a completely automatic settings with the exception you can adjust the exposure. We bought the Halide app which offers a little more control where you’re able to adjust the exposure and focus. I just realized that I missed the opportunity to get the free upgrade but it doesn’t really matter since we are electing right now to not get the latest IOS update which means I can’t use all the features with Halide. *sigh* Oh well, that’s how the cookie crumbles!
Our phone lets us use a lot of the manual settings as well, but Mom still gets irritated by her phone photos. Due to convenience, she leaves the good camera behind more than she should but then she regrets it. She won’t do MAC or Iphone, so no idea how those work. We have a Huawei that works well most of the time.
Y’all always have the best photos! Our Mom uses the iPhone and our DSLR, depends on her mood I guess!
Phones make it all so easy, but when we want really nice pics the big gun always comes out.
If i were a pro or had aspirations to become one, i’d go with the DSLR. As it stands, my phone camera takes phtos that help me remember the moments, and that’s why i take the photos to begin, so it works fine for my needs.
There is a camera for everyone and everything. Mom would take all her pics with the DSLR but because of convenience, we too have a lot of phone pics.
So many options these days! Mama does use her iPhone 13 a bunch for our dog photos, but she could never live without her Nikon!
xoxo,
Jakey, Rosy & Sunny
Mom uses her phone out of convenience but she loves her Nikon too.