chin photography

[halfstache]

Recently we've been trying to take some pictures of our chinchillas and its become apparent that chinchillas just do not seem to photograph well. I've tried using different color backgrounds and environments but haven't had any great success as of yet. The little buggers keep moving to much so a great many of our pictures are a waste due to being blurry, and many of the others it seems that the lighting must be off or something because the fur color will not appear correct in the picture. sometimes too dark, other times too light. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for taking better pics of chinchillas? We have tried using a digital SLR camera and an iphone and an atrix (another cell phone), have similar results with each.

 

[becky12883]

I have no idea on how to help with the colors showing up good. For the blur the best solution is to take the pics while they are sleeping, they move less then.
I use instagram to take pics with my phone, an Evo. I get some good shots, but it's still hard to get the colors right. There's a feature on there to make the pics brighter which kinda helps with the colors. If you want to check out the pics I have on my instagram name is becky12883.

 

[Spoof]

We have tried using a digital SLR camera and an iphone and an atrix (another cell phone), have similar results with each.

It is really hard to find a good camera these last few years and photo quality very much depends on the camera. You will end up wasting a lot of shots with any photo shoot but you should get one or two good ones. If you can't get a good picture under full spectrum lighting or the sun, it's definitely the camera.

I was actually going to start a thread similar to this - I need a new camera. In particular, I need a good camera.

My only requirement is that it takes clear pictures. The last one that I wore out (over 200,000 photos) was a Fuji F31. I picked up a Canon SX230HS and I actually hate it. It does not matter what you do with this stupid thing, manual or Auto it simply does not perform. I haven't taken chin pictures with it since I got it a year ago. Heck, I don't even want to take regular pictures with it! I borrow people's cameras now.

Here are some example photos, perfect lighting, perfect chin, terrible quality pictures.

Please give me camera suggestions! I would love the Fuji X10 but it is out of my price range, if it had only been released when I dropped what I did on this P.O.S. canon....

First pic is from my five year old Fuji F31fd, last three are from the Canon - in the most perfect color/lighting conditions I can give any camera. Chin wasn't even moving in one of them.

 

[peachydays]

If you are using a DSLR, the camera is more than capable of capturing great images of your chins.

To reduce the motion blur, use a fast shutter speed. To help with getting "true" colors, adjust your white balance.

Also keep in mind, that most of us take HUNDREDS of pictures, to get just a couple handfuls of good pictures. Start with really getting to know your camera (if you haven't already), so you can get the settings right. Then the only thing you'll have to worry about it is getting that picture of the chins being their cute little selves.

What type of DSLR are you using, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[Kylelemler]

We are happy with our cannon rebel dslr in combination with some decent photoshop software for editing. But we take our photos on a small table set up like a show type with lIghts being right type and distance from table top and flash is normally not needed. But yes we have a hard time getting them to hold still for them

 

[greychins]

To reduce the motion blur, use a fast shutter speed. To help with getting "true" colors, adjust your white balance.

Also keep in mind, that most of us take HUNDREDS of pictures, to get just a couple handfuls of good pictures. Start with really getting to know your camera (if you haven't already), so you can get the settings right. Then the only thing you'll have to worry about it is getting that picture of the chins being their cute little selves.

Have to second the shutter speed. Look and check what you have your DSLR set at. Mine can go to 1/200ths of a second with flash, even less time without flash. I very rarely get a blurry picture. Can't say all the pictures are good -- get a lot of pictures of butts or chins half in the picture -- but they're not blurry for the most part. I have a Nikon D60 DSLR and love it.

And when I'm taking pics of my chins, especially the chins up for adoption where you need to capture all the cuteness and personality in a few pics... I must take a few hundred. People see the 5-6 photos I have up and ask, do you have more? Sure, how many do you want? Lol. It takes a lot of photos for me to get a good shot... cause they move, the lighting's a little off....

For the color... I can't help you there. Some shots look more true to color, others look less.. under the same lighting conditions, with a flash, without a flash... I can't perfect it. I would love to have a setup for pics like CBD does, but at the moment we're a bit crammed in the space we're in. When I move though!