Do you want to take an alpaca photo for fun or advertising? Here are our tips for taking a great picture of your camelid friends.
Be patient. Be ready. Go to your alpacas pasture and find a comfortable spot. Stay there until your alpacas forget you are there. Start photographing them when they are relaxed and going about the business of being an alpaca. Now you can snap pictures.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom! Use your cameras zoom to get in close. Focus on those beautiful alpaca eyes. This is where you will see your alpacas health and personality. Fill the camera frame with your alpaca image.
Take a picture of your alpaca at head level. If your camera is above or below the head, your alpacas' head will be distorted in the photo.
Take lots of alpaca photos. That way you're sure to have at least one or two really good pictures.
Au Naturale. Avoid using flash and use natural lighting as much as you can. Early morning and late afternoon light is best. One exception to this rule is to use flash on black fleece alpacas to bring out shading and texture.
Speaking of the rules, why not break the rules occasionally? Try different lighting, or unusual angles.
Got personality? Well, so does your alpaca. You've seen different personalities among your herd. Get it on film. If they are playful, then catch them leaping around. If they are more quiet, then catch a serene moment.
Don't clutter your shutter. Be sure and look at the background. Is there a fence post growing out of your alpacas head in the shot (We always seem to do this)? Move around until your background is clear.
Alpacas for sale? Then you'll want to have your alpaca looking alert. Use a noise (not loud enough to scare them) to get their attention and be ready to take the picture.
Use treats, toys, or just plain be silly to get the picture of your alpaca that really shows them off.
Here's some samples of what we're talking about:
This photo is ok. It's close up but not really engaging.
This is better. You're in close and the alpaca is looking at you. You feel like you are participating in this photo. You're looking at the alpaca and he's looking back.
We like this one even better. The blue sky background makes the white alpaca really pop out.
This photo is all wrong. The alpaca has a fencepost growning out of his head. There is a very distracting hose on the ground and a little less distracting cord. Try to move around your alpaca until you can eliminate all the background distractions such as these. Moving in closer will help but try keeping clutter completely out of the picture.
Break the rules a little and have fun like we did with the following video.
An alpaca photo does not have to be hard to get. Shoot often and quickly and you will get a great picture that shows your alpacas' personality. Have a head shot and a full body photo available for customers. Also, have a photo of your alpaca in full fleece and sheared. Be creative and have fun photograhing your alpacas.
