Pet Photography basics- explanation of f-stops and shutter speeds

Pet photography can be a fun and exciting hobby and also a professional career.
Lets talk about the necesities:
First, a professional digital camera will make you look like a trained photographer without the schooling background but you must master the manual mode!! Yes, Automatic is a wonderful tool but will leave your pictures boring and stale!! But have no fear, if you are confused by the doldrum of f stops and shutter speeds I can disperse some of its secrets!
I just want to give you the basics right now- if you are looking for more advanced techniques- I will post those tips in upcoming blogs.
First f-stops- do you like it when the background looks faded in pictures and the image in front is all that you see? This is called a shallow depth of field. The higher the f-stop number the greater depth of field. Thus an f-stop of 5.3 is going to have a more shallow depth of field (you won't be able to discern the back ground as completely) than a f-stop of 8. For example, if you visit my website at www.ashleyhowardphotography.com- you notice a picture of a daschund with grass behind her but you don't see the minute details of each blade of grass- this makes your picture look more professional and gives a nice finished artistic touch because it gives your picture different depths. How do you this? Set your camera to manual mode- look for the (m) on the top of your camera. Put your f-stop to the lowest number.
You may have to look in your camera manual to see how to change f-stop- don't worry it is very simple because photographers are always tossling this button on their camera. If you have a Nikon D-80- you will turn the dial on the front of your camera(towards the top). Now turn the dial until you see a low number in the (4-5.3 range)
Now you also need to change your shutter speed. On the Nikon D80 you will change your shutter speed by turning the dial just to the right of the view finder while in manual mode. On a sunny day, I use a shutter speed of about 200-250. Remember, your shutter speed determines how fast your shutter opens and closes. Think of it as a fraction ( I know your math teacher was right about fractions!!) a shutter speed that show as 200 on your camera is actually 1/200. So, 1/200 is going to let more light in because it is open longer than a shutter speed that is 4000 (which is actually 1/4000). Please don't let the fractions confuse you at all!! Just think that 1/4000 is smaller and thus is quicker than 1/200. But also remember the slower the shutter speed, the more time for the image to become blurry b/c you moved. When you get to shutter speeds as low as 1- you are going to need a tri-pod or your images will become blurry! I hope this dispels some of the manual mode fear!!
Now pet photography is a blessing! Our creatures are always moving and wagging thats why treats are so essential when taking photographs. Make sure they are in small pieces and buy the low fat variety. You also need a helper present unless you have the wonderdog who can sit and sit without ever moving until you allow him! I wish my dogs had that kind of composure but I love their rambucious spirit! If you look at my picture on my website http://www.ashleyhowardphotography.com/ of the yorkie sitting on the chair you do not know that her owner is standing directly beind him until the last moment when her owner let go and made a high pitched noise to attain her Yorkies attention. Animals are one of my favorite subjects because you do never get a half-hearted smile. Capturing dogs and their personality is my favorite task- I will post more about this next time!! If you have any questions about photography just visit my website at http://www.ashleyhowardphotography.com/ and click on contact us- I love to help fellow photographers accomplish their dreams!!