well, i dont have experience lol but first tihng is make sure your pet has your focus and can stay 'still' whilst u take the picture... otherwise once u press the button, an ur pet suddenly moves then ur photo is like messed up um...an also have fun when you're taking pics with ur pet or of ur pet, cos u cant really force ur pet into any position etc lol..unless they're really good at obeying ur orders =P
you just have to be patient to capture every moment your pet or animal does basically (burst shots) and choose the best ones, you can't get the animal to do certain things and expect you will have a great shot in a single click...just like fireworks photography
If you can't get the pet to stay, try some treats or squeaky toy - If you have trouble getting the pet to look at the camera, get the squeaky toy and keep it in your hand, or have an assistant/friend next to you squeaking it so that the pet looks your way If you're going for general pet shots, always go to the pets height level... so say a cat or dog, get down on the floor to their height with them for a more personalised shot of the pet Try to avoid using the flash, because more animals eyes can come out funny, almost see through the eyes...so your best bet is to take the photo during the day using natural light Let the pet do what it usually does, don't force it to try and do anything out of it's natural state, after all that's what photography is really about, capturing a moment of truth (Most of the time >_> ) I'd definatley say if you want to try get professional like shots, that you will need someone to give you a hand, holding the camera and trying to get the pet to pose might be a handful What kind of pets are you thinking about photographing? I know that they are not pets, but if you haven't before and want to start taking photographs of birds, here's a tutorial I made a while back for begginners - Some of the stuff in here can apply to other animals too Taking photographs of birds are a real challenge, they are just so quick My favourite thing to photograph Anyway, hope the tips helped - good luck! Would love to see what you take photos of