Photo Of The Week

Our photo of the week was taken by Trisha Phillips with Trisha Phillips Photography & Design. 

Here is what Trisha had to say about her photo: "Every spring, a new set of cows come to our pasture behind our house and it is always fun to see who they are going to be!  This is 56 and 56.2.  As babies they loved coming up to the fence and letting me take their picture but as they got older, they were less curious about me and my camera.  I am looking forward to getting new cows this spring and hope they are as photogenic as these two were!"

To see more of Trisha's work, visit her on Facebook or on her website tphillipsdesign.wixsite.com/photography. 

We Want To Feature Your Work!

Do you have some really amazing photos you have taken recently or some of your past work that you simply love? We want to see! Each Tuesday, we will be featuring a "photo of the week" right here on the Camera Giveaways blog. We are looking for anything from amazing landscape photos, a gorgeous wedding or engagement shot, sports or animal photography, an awesome fashion photo...whatever you want to share, we would love to see!

Email your photos to contact@cameragiveaways.com with the subject "CG Blog Photo Submission" for consideration. In your email be sure to include a description of your photo, your name and company name as well as website and social media links. Please... no watermarks! If this information is not included, your photo will not be included.

6 Tips To Taking Photos of Pets

We all love our furry friends, but it can be difficult to get great shots of our pets as they are not always willing to pose for us - let alone stay in one place for more than a minute. But, with the right equipment and a few tricks, you can certainly get some amazing photos of pets that are worthy to be hanging up on the wall next to all your other family members. 

Here are a few tips to remember:

1. Have Patience

When you are photographing your pet, you have to have patience. You need to be there and always ready to take that perfect shot. Your pet most likely will not be in the same position or stance again during the photo shoot, so you need to be ready and alert for that perfect moment. This is especially true if they are excited and playing around. 

Photo credit: Pet Imagery

2. Use Treats or Toys They Love

If there is a specific treat or toy that your pet loves and makes him or her very happy, incorporate it into the shoot so you can capture their joy and excitement. It may be difficult, but if you have another person to help, you can stand back and be ready to take photos when the moment is right. 

3. Make Sure Your Lighting Is Right

If you are outside or in a room with great natural light, you do not need to worry about a flash, but if not, you need to have a flash ready. The flash will help to fill in the shadows and freeze the subject. Just like if you are photographing people, you never want to point the flash directly at the subject because it will not make them look the best, so be sure to have a diffuser. A great way to do this is to point your flash directly up to the ceiling which will bounce back down to your pet. That works much better than the actual flash that is on your camera that will point directly into your pets eyes. 

Photo credit: Eiichi Yonemura via 500px

4. Equipment Makes A Difference

Using a great camera and lens definitely makes a difference when you are trying to take professional looking photos. All cameras work great and you can even get amazing photos now-a-days with a smart phone as long as you know how to use it, but there are better cameras than others out there which do make a huge difference. 

5. Get At Eye Level With Your Pet

If you get your camera at eye level with your pet or even below eye level, it will give you a unique perspective and intimacy to your photos. 

Photo credit: Pet Imagery

6. Focus on The Eyes

You want to be sure when you are taking photos of your pet, you always focus on the eyes. If the eyes are not in focus in the photo, the shot is wasted and will not look right. The way to do this is to make sure you know what focus point is active. If you let your camera do this, it will typically always focus on the thing that is the closest to you, which is probably the pet's nose, so be sure to change the focus point as necessary before you begin shooting.  

Do you love animal photography? Here is another post with some great animal photos you may want to check out. 

---

Do you take many of your photos outdoors? Are you tired of wasting your day editing photos all day long? Then The Ultimate Season Action Bundle is for you! No matter what type of season, weather or lighting condition, these actions are perfect! You can get this entire bundle for only $9.99 (a $199.99 value)! 

GET THE ULTIMATE SEASON ACTION BUNDLE NOW!

Have You Signed Up For Our Newsletter?

If not, be sure to enter your info below to to stay up to date on our other giveaways and industry deals and news!

Name

Email

Cute Dog Photos From 12th Annual Dog Photographer of the Year Awards 2017

Everyone loves an adorable dog photo and the ones we are going to show you today are enough to make you smile! The winners of the 12th annual Dog Photographer of the Year Awards for 2017 were announced this week by the Kennel Club, an international organization dedicated to dogs, dog owners, and people who work with dogs. Take a look at some of the most adorable and unique photos of dog photography you have seen in some time. 

The overall winner of the awards was Maria Davison, for her portrait of her friend's dog for the "Man's Best Friend" category (see photo below). Every photo shows the intangible joy a great dog can provide, but also that the power an awesome photo can truly make you feel great.

Here is what Davison said in this statement about her photo, provided by the Kennel Club: "It is one of the photographs I am most proud of. It was not only a beautiful, real and candid moment I got to capture, but also a demonstration of the strong bond between one of my closest friends and her dog, Yzma."

Man's Best Friend Cateogry. 1st place: Maria Davison

Dogs At Play Category. 1st place: Kaylee Greer

Dogs At Play Category. 2nd place: Rodrigo Capulski

Dogs At Play Category. 3rd place: Will Holdcroft

Dogs At Work Category. 1st place: Sarah Caldecott

Dogs At Work Category. 2nd place: Lucy Charman

Assistant Category. 1st place: Alasdair MacLeod

Rescue Category. 1st place: Alexandra Robins

Rescue Category: 2nd place: Martin Tosh

Mans Best Friend Category. 3rd place: Annemarie King

Portrait Category. 3rd place: Noel Bennett

Puppy Category. 2nd place: Tracy Kirby

Young Pup Category. 1st place: Dylan Jenkins

I Love Dogs Because Category. 1st place: Julian Gottfried

I Love Dogs Because Category. 2nd place: Summer Clark

We originally saw these photos in this article on Thrillist. Here are a few other animal photos you may enjoy checking out: 

• Celebrate World Wildlife Day With These Great Animal Photos
• 10 Funny Animal Photos That Are Finalists In The 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

---

Do you take animal photographs or other shots outdoors and sometimes need to fix the sky? If you ever want to add clouds or sunsets to your photos then this Pretty Sky Overlays is for you! For $124.99, you will get 110 overlays that will allow you to fix a blown out sky or edit in a specific mood. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRETTY SKY OVERLAYS NOW!

Have You Signed Up For Our Newsletter?

If not, be sure to enter your info below to to stay up to date on our other giveaways and industry deals and news!

Name

Email

Celebrate World Wildlife Day With These Great Animal Photos

The finalists for the World Wildlife Day 2017 photo competition have been announced and we just love all of the great photos. The competition invited people aged 10 to 24 from around the world to submit their photos of wildlife as a way use their artistic talents to highlight to others the importance in the protection of wildlife. The theme of the competition was titled "Through Young Eyes" and is held in conjunction with World Wildlife Day.

Take a few minutes to check out a few of the finalists photos we loved and wanted to share with you! 

Heavy-bodied jumping spider (Hyllus semicupreus). Photo credit: MdRasidul Islam Rabby/World Wildlife Day

Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Photo credit: Gabor Li/World Wildlife Day

Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Photo credit: Swaroop Singha Roy/World Wildlife Day

Northern potoo (Nyctibius jamaicensis). Photo credit: Jorge Figueroa/World Wildlife Day

Group of crane flies (family Tipulidae). Photo credit: Breech Asher Haranl/World Wildlife Day

Wire-tailed swallow (Hirundo smithii). Photo credit: Ali Javed/World Wildlife Day

We found these photos on the International Business Times. Here are some other great posts you may enjoy: 

• Animals Photographed In The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Were Not Shy!
• 6 Reasons To Start Photographing Wildlife

---

Do you take animal photographs or other shots outdoors and sometimes need to fix the sky? If you ever want to add clouds or sunsets to your photos then this Pretty Sky Overlays is for you! For $299.99, you will get 110 overlays that will allow you to fix a blown out sky or edit in a specific mood. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRETTY SKY OVERLAYS NOW!

Have You Signed Up For Our Newsletter?

If not, be sure to enter your info below to to stay up to date on our other giveaways and industry deals and news!

Name

Email

12 Amazing Photos From The National Geographic Nature Photographer Of The Year Contest 2016

We love amazing photos of animals and nature! Today we are excited to share with you some of the winners from the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer Of The Year Contest. 

Photos were entered to four categories including Landscape, Action, Animal Portraits and Environmental Issues from August through early November and there are certainly some breathtaking photos that were submitted to this year's contest. Look below to see 12 of our favorites. 

"Dragging You Deep Into the Woods!" Photo credit: Varun Aditya

"Hummingbird." Photo credit: Emily Riley

"Dancing In The Rain." Photo credit: Vladislav Kamenski

"Pacific Storm." Photo credit: Santiago Borja

"Bathing In The Snow Flake." Photo credt: Hiroki Inoue

"Moving At A Snail's Pace..." Photo credit: Samira Qadir

"Icescape." Photo credit: Samira Qadir

"Puffin Studio." Photo credit: Mario Suarez Porras

"Under The Waves." Photo credit: Christopher Markisz

"Mystic Woods." Photo credit: Andrew George

"Ocean Guest." Photo credit: Mike Korostelev

"Alien Lights." Photo credit: Russell Wiltshire

To see the rules and other winning photos of the competition, visit National Geographic. If you love these nature photos, here are a few other blog posts we think you you will enjoy: 

• 5 Reasons To Start Photographing Wildlife
• Fine Animal Portraiture By Tim Flach

---

Do you take animal photographs or other shots outdoors and sometimes need to fix the sky? If you ever want to add clouds or sunsets to your photos then this Pretty Sky Overlays is for you! For $124.99, you will get 110 overlays that will allow you to fix a blown out sky or edit in a specific mood. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE PRETTY SKY OVERLAYS NOW!

Have You Signed Up For Our Newsletter?

If not, be sure to enter your info below to to stay up to date on our other giveaways and industry deals and news!

Name

Email

10 Funny Animal Photos That Are Finalists In The 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Animals are amazing creatures and when a photographer can capture an animal and its personality while in its own environment... the results can be spectacular. We have shared some pretty great animal photos in the past and are excited to share a few more with you today. 

The 2016 Comedy Wildlife Awards just finished up the 2016 competition and they are now in the judging process. The list of their finalists have been put out for all to see and there are images from all around the world including a forgetful meerkat, a mountain hare waving to the photographer and dancing ants. We hope you enjoy a few of our favorite photos below! 

Andy Howard spent more than five hours with this mountain hare, which appears to raise its paw to say hello in the Cairngorms, Scotland. Photo credit: Andy Howar for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A frog looks like he has a big smile for the camera in Russia. Photo credit: Artyom Krivosheev for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Two weaver ants, otherwise known as fire ants, dancing together in Bata, Indonesia. Photo credit: Usman Priyona for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A pair of ‘headless penguins’ as they stretch to preen themselves simultaneously in South Georgia. Photo credt: Charles Kinsey for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A meerkat appears to look as if it has just remembered it needs to be somewhere, in Brigitta Moser’s photo from Little Karoo, South Africa. Photo credit: Brigitta Moser for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A colorful reptile holds up a twig as it is pictured looking like a warrior with a powerful stance. Photo credit: Anup Deodhar for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

Two rhinos organize themselves back to back in defence formation in Laikipia, Kenya. Photo credit: George Dian Balan for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A snowy owl looks very content as it smiles for Edward Kopeschny in Ontario, Canada. Photo credit: Edward Kopeschny for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A portrait of a buffalo in Meru national park, Kenya. Photo credit: Tom Stables for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

A little leopard tortoise jumps on a friend’s back in Tarangire national park, Tanzania. Photo credit: Brenden Simonson for Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

We originally saw these photos posted on The Guardian. If you loved these great animal photos, here are a few others you may enjoy: 

• 8 Of The Top Underwater Marine Wildlife Photos of 2016
• Awesome Underwater Photos of The Rare Dugong

---

Do you take photos like these above that have bold, bright colors from the outdoors? Do need to pop out the weak colors in your photos, give your photos a soft, dreamy look, or even need some help with basic retouching (exposure, contrast, white balance)? Presets Made Easy! (The Complete Collection) is for you! You will get a total of 67 presets and a Lightroom brush set. This set is compatible with Lightroom. You can get Presets Made Easy! for $199.99 

GET PRESETS MADE EASY! THE COMPLETE COLLECTION NOW! 

Have You Signed Up For Our Newsletter?

If not, be sure to enter your info below to to stay up to date on our other giveaways and industry deals and news!

Name

Email

Animals Photographed In The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Were Not Shy!

Animals can be mischievous little creatures and they sure showed that with many of the photographs submitted to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards this year. 

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are in its inaugural year and has 1,502 entries from 52 different countries. The new competition was created by wildlife photographer Paul Joynson-Hicks who is based in Tanzania. 

40 Finalists have been chosen and a winner and two runner-ups will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on November 11. 

In the entries, you will see everything from ducks having a bad hair day, to a laughing seal, and even a gorilla that is giving the photographer the finger! We hope you enjoy these photos as much as we do! 

Photo credit: Julie Hunt

Photo credit: Oli Dreike

Photo credit: Julian Rad

Photo credit: Yuzuru Masuda

Photo credit: Jeff Derx

Photo credit: Gil Gofer

Photo credit: Michael Erwin

Photo credit: Marc Mol

Photo credit: Alison Buttigieg

Photo credit: Ashish Tyagi 

Check out all 40 of the finalists photos on News.com.au. Also, be sure to visit ComedyWildlifePhoto.com if you are interested in submitting a funny animal photo in the 2016 awards! 

Enter Our Next CAMERA GIVEAWAY!

Enter your info below to know when our next giveaway starts. Coming soon, a chance to win a Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800! Don't miss out! 

Name

Email