Taking the Purrfect Pet Picture

Ever wonder how the professionals get great animal photos? Getting your dog to sit in one place for any amount of time is helpful but you don’t need to have a trained stunt dog to capture the perfect photo.  Here are a few tricks of the trade to get great pet photos this holiday season:

1.       Use natural light – By using natural light you avoid using the flash, which not only causes red eye but can frighten your pet.  Go outside or in a room with a big window to naturally light your picture.

2.       Focus on the eyes – An animal’s eye can be very expressive.  Stay focused on them to help bring your photo to life.

3.       Go to your pet – Capture your pet in his/her natural environment.  This will help keep him/her comfortable and more than likely result in a better shot.  You can also sit on the floor or lay on your belly to get a shot from his/her eye level.

4.        Give your pet Character – Help convey the character of your pet by getting of picture of him/her doing what he/she does best.   If she is a lazy cat, capture her yawning.  If he is a playful dog, get a shot of him fetching a toy.

5.       Close up – Don’t be afraid to go in for a close up shot.  Some of the best pet photos just fill the frame with a pet’s face.

6.       Surprise your pet – Let your pet play while you set up your camera.  When you are ready, whistle, or use a noise maker, to get his/her attention then quickly snap the shot.

7.       Schedule accordingly – If you plan to schedule a photo session, do so accordingly, to make sure it’s when your pet is alert but not overly excited.  Did he just wake up from a nap? Does she have lots of energy in the afternoon?  Is he feeling sick? A grumpy dog, a tired dog, and a hyper dog do not make very good models.

8.       Have patience – Taking pictures of animals is not easy and rarely works out on the first take. You may need to take several shots before you get a good one.  If your dog is very excited, just wait a little bit and he will calm down.

9.       Experiment – Try approaching your pet in different ways, from different angles, and in different positions.  If you just focus on shooting a lot of pictures in the moment, you can worry about the results later.