A blurry photo doesn’t only have to be caused by motion. Sometimes you may find that even a relatively still subject keeps coming out blurry after you photograph it, as if your camera’s focus just can’t grasp it. This can happen when you are getting real close to your subject, which is sometimes necessary for those small and furry pets. If you use auto-focus you may notice that the focus keeps locking on to the background, and not the pet right in front of you.

In order to capture super sharp close-ups of pets like Chandler from North Jersey Guinea Pig and Hamster Rescue you will need to set your camera into macro mode. Most digital cameras have a macro mode that helps in getting extreme close-up shots. To turn it on, look for a flower icon (). This symbol represents the macro setting on your camera.

Once macro mode is enabled, you can get in very close with the camera and capture extremely sharp focused photos. Some cameras may be able to focus when the lens is less than an inch away from the subject, others may need a little more than an inch, so you may need to experiment to find the best distance to take your photos.

Be aware of camera shake when taking macro photos. With such an intense focus the slightest trembling or shaking of the camera can cause some blur. If this becomes a problem you may want to look for a surface to stabilize your camera against or try using a tripod.

If you use a SLR camera then you will likely need to invest in a macro lens or a close-up filter to get these effects.

iPhone and Android users can take macro photos too. You will need to get a macro lens for your phone which some specialty photography sites like Photojojo offer. You will also need to turn on the AE/AF lock, which turns off auto focus and requires you to touch on the screen where you want your phone to focus.

Having a great photo on Petfinder significantly improves your chances of getting your pets noticed and adopted.   The more time spent getting a good a photo, the quicker the pet can be adopted giving you more space to save more. We suggest photos of 1000 pixels in width when uploading and using all three photo spots.