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How to Take Photos of Stuffed Animals

There are some basics any photographer should practice whenever he is shooting a portrait, whether it is of a living subject or a group of stuffed animals. Lighting, composition, lens selection, aperture and shutter speed always need to be considered in any type of shoot. Photographing stuffed animals is good way to practice some of the basics on a subject that will not get bored or irritable as you change your lighting and backgrounds from shot to shot.

Things You'll Need

Table, stool, chair or couch to position stuffed animals
Two photo studio lights
Camera with 85mm lens
tripod

Instructions

- 1
  Set up a table, chair, stool, bed or other object where you will position the stuffed animals for the photo session. Consider the type of stuffed animals you are working with and the type of picture you want to accomplish.
- 2
  Identify the center position of your picture and place one of the larger stuffed animals there. Build you photo by placing the other animals around the center one. You can change the arrangement as you work through the shoot, but use this first picture as a way to get your lighting balanced.
- 3
  Attach an 85mm lens to your camera and attach the camera to a tripod. Position your camera at a far enough distance from your subjects so they fill the frame. The 85mm lens is often used for portrait work as it captures your subject without any distortion.
- 4
  Position one studio light at a 45-degree angle and in front of the stuffed animals. The studio light should be directed towards the stuffed animals; it is the main light and should be set to full power. Position a second light in the same position on the opposite side of the stuffed animals. This light is the fill light and should be set to half the power of the main light.
- 5
  Connect a sync cord to the main light and to the camera. Turn the camera on, set the exposure mode to "M" for manual. Set the camera's ISO to 100 and set the shutter speed to 1/100th of a second. Set the camera aperture to f5.6, take a test picture and adjust the aperture until the picture is correctly exposed. If you have a handheld light meter, attach the end of the sync cord that is connected to the camera to the light meter and take a reading, then set your camera to the meter's settings.
- 6
  Take your first picture, then reposition the stuffed animals for subsequent photos until you have enough photos for your project, assignment or for personal use.

Photography