Pet Photography Tips.

Pets fill very quickly their place in our hearts and families and we enjoy having their pictures framed on our desk, on a wall or saved on our cell phones.

However taking pictures of our best friend is not always easy. Pets unlike humans, do not understand what we are trying to do and won’t just pose for the camera.

Photographing pets takes on a deeper meaning when you can capture their character in a photo.  It’s a good idea to photograph pets in their preferred spots or enjoying a much loved pastime such as snoozing on the porch or catching a Frisbee.

To capture a pet’s character, you can ask yourself what is unique about your pet and try to capture that uniqueness of your pet.

The best part of photography is that there’s no one right way to do it. Come up with crazy ideas and try them all. Some of your photos will have lasting images you’ll treasure, whom you thought will never come out well.

If you’re a pet owner, I bet your camera is likely filled with photos of your furry friends. Looking back at the shots, do you think you captured the right moments? Was your cat looking away just as you pressed the trigger, or does your dog look less adorable in photos than in real life?

Here are a few tips that will help you get the most of your photo session with your pet.

            

Pet Photography as a Hobby or Business:

Training your camera at a dog, cat or any animal is exciting, stimulating, incredible fun and even addiction.

Your little dream hobby of capturing that incredible doogie grin or that winsome heart-stealing kitty face could also turn your simple hobby into a successful Pet Photography business.

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1. Photography Equipment – A DSLR or a Phone Camera?

A DSLR is kind of like a sports car – it packs a serious punch, but the amount of fun you can have with it is proportional to your driving skills.

The camera on a smartphone is like the Note or the iPhone, on the other hand,  is akin to a limousine – it can’t win a rally, but it rides with grace and in style; all you have to do is lay back and relax as your driver takes you to your mansion.

Smartphone cameras are great, there’s no denying that, but when it comes to serious photography, it will be a while until a DSLR’s capabilities are matched by a mobile phone camera.

             

       

2. Start with Your Pet’s Personality:

Before you start photographing your pet ask yourself ‘what sets it apart from other animals?’  Think about what type of personality it has and then attempt to capture some of that in your shots.

For example if everyone knows your pet as a sleepy, lazy or placid little thing set up your photo shoot around it’s bed or where it goes after a meal to lie in the sun and you’ll have every chance of capturing a shot that sums your pet right up.

Alternatively if your pet is hyperactive, inquisitive and always on the move it might be better to do your shoot at a local park where it’s racing around, jumping for balls or playing with other pets.

 

                    

3. Think about Location:

In choosing the location to photograph your pet you might want to consider a variety of other factors also.

For starters choose a place where your pet will be comfortable and at ease. Also consider the familiarity of the location and the emotions that it will evoke in you as the pets owner.

For example you might have a place that you and your pet have had some special moments together that will mean a lot in the future as you look back over your shots.

Lastly consider the background of your shots. Ultimately you don’t want your backgrounds to be distracting from your photo – sometimes the best locations are the plainest ones – a large patch of green grass, a well lit room with white walls and plain carpet etc. can be ideal.

Of course this can also be tool plain and sterile – my motto is that if the different elements in the background of the shot don’t add to it avoid them.

4. Get Rid of Clutter First:

Before you even pull your camera out of your bag, take a look around at your shooting location and get rid of clutter and distracting objects first.

Do you really want to see that empty Starbucks cup on your coffee table in the photos of your cat? Is the garden hose snaking through the grass where you are photographing your dog, adding an aesthetically-pleasing element to your photos?

If an element in your background doesn't serve to enhance your images in some way, either remove it first or move to a different location.

An uncluttered environment produces more aesthetically pleasing images, and reduces post-processing work. Nobody needs to see photos of your puppy with an overflowing garbage can in the background.

5. Use Natural Light:

If possible always use natural light when taking your pet in picture.

Avoid flash, as flash burst can, not only cause red-eye, but also frighten the animal. Instead try to go outside or, if it is not possible, in a room well lit by a large window.

Good light is everything in photography, especially in pet photography, where it’s critical to be able to see the catch lights in the pet’s eyes (the white reflective parts).

 

Avoid photographing in dark rooms or under heavily overcast days.  Bright yet diffused light is the easiest to create flattering pet portraits under, so before you even start shooting, take a look around your subject’s environment and determine where the best bright, yet diffused light is, then move to that location.

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6. Avoid Using a Flash:

There are various reasons to avoid using a flash when taking photographs of pets, for example, flash is bright and can be unnerving for a small animal.  Flash can scare them or make them nervous and hide.

 

Additionally, flash is harsh, particularly if you are indoors.  It’s best to use natural light since this won’t wash out features.  If your pet is light colored, white fur in particular will look washed out with a flash. 

Finally, try to avoid using flash with animals that live in tanks, because glass will reflect the flash making an unsightly white hotspot.  This also is true with metal cages, because once again, even dull metal will look white under the beam.

                      

7. Pay your Model:

You wouldn’t expect a human model to work for you without payment right?  So why should you expect an animal to work without getting paid?

Every animal needs to have some sort of motivation to pay attention to you during the shoot; otherwise they will wander off and become disinterested. Determine what they are motivated by (i.e. their ‘payment’), and provide it to them throughout your shoot.

For dogs it may be treats or toys, or simply getting love and affection. For cats it may be a feather toy, a paper bag, tuna fish, catnip or even their favorite blanket. For horses it may be their favorite food such as carrots or apples.

The biggest ‘trick’ in pet photography is to fool the animal into thinking that they are making the decisions, when it’s really you that is motivating them to do what you want, without telling them so outright.

The ‘getting them to do what you want’ comes in the model payment. Get creative when it comes to ‘rewarding’ your models, and they will reward you with great shots and be more cooperative too. Plus the shoot will be more fun, and pet photography is supposed to be fun!

8. Include People:

One of the best things you can do to add context to a shot is to include the special people in the life of your pet in the image.

Shots with the owner or other family members interacting with your pet can make the images incredibly special for years to come.

You might like to try posed shots but sometimes it’s the candid shots of owner and pet at play (or snoozing together in front of a fire) that really capture the character of the pet and evoke emotion.

9. Capturing a Good Shot:

If you are a beginner, it can be quite difficult to capture good images of a moving target, but try to focus your shot on the animal’s eye.

You can always practice while they’re asleep to give time to work on creating the right depth of field.

If you want to make your shots more creative, try using peanut butter or honey on their teeth as you’ll get some amazing expressions when they try to lick it off. Don’t forget, make sure you have treats to hand, to reward them.

Try not to shoot for more than a few minutes without a break, it can be difficult holding their attention for any longer.            

10. Freeze the Action:

Many pets present a challenge to photographers because they are active and always on the move.

The key with any subject that’s on the move is to freeze their action by using a fast shutter speed. Most digital cameras these days will allow you to shoot in full manual mode if you feel confident to get the mix between shutter and aperture right.

 

Alternatively you can work in shutter priority mode where you set the shutter speed and the camera automatically does the rest by picking a good aperture to work with your shutter speed.

The last alternative is to use ‘sports’ mode which will mean the camera will select the fastest shutter speed possible for your situation. Once you've got your shutter speed nice and fast make sure your camera is always at the ready so you can anticipate the actions of your pet.

If they are a fast mover you might also want to consider shooting in continuous mode (burst mode) to take a quick series of shots in a row. This can also lead to a wonderful sequence of shots that work well together.

            

11. Keep the Eyes Sharp:

Having sharp eyes is important in any kind of portraits photography.

As they say, “Eyes are the Window to the Soul” and pets eye can be very expressive. So make sure to focus on your pet’s eyes and keep the tack sharp.

                  

12. Shoot in their world:

Wear dirty clothes and scoot, crouch, bend, scuffle, lay, twist, roll on the ground – whatever you need to do, get down and create photographs on the pet’s level.

While a few shots looking down at your pet, while you are standing can be cute – to create the really engaging portraits the pros make, shoot down at their level, ‘in their world’.

For a Great Dane their world may be the height of your hips; for a Chihuahua it may be all the way down at the level of your ankles. For a cat lounging on a cat tree, you may need to pull out a step stool to get on their level. Practice ‘shooting from the hip’ to place the camera in their world without having to crouch or kneel if they are on the ground.

It is very important that you pet feels comfortable and at ease, so instead of forcing him to come to you go to him. Most important is to get down to his level; Show us the way they see world! Sit on the floor or lie on your belly and remember to shoot from HIS eye level or below.

13. Relax:

Animals are like little emotional sponges, and if you are stressed and anxious, they will sense it and become stressed and anxious too.

A stressed animal will give you ‘ears flattened’, ‘concerned eyes’ looks, which don’t translate well ‘on film’. Take a deep breath and remember to have fun with it!

14. Be Patient:

Pet photography requires a lot of patience. No matter how excited your furry friend is, if you are patient enough, he will end up by relaxing and you will have the opportunity to get a decent shot.

15. Surprise Them:

One of the most difficult things is to let your pet hold still.

An easy trick is to let him play quietly and, once you have everything ready, let someone call for him or whistle. This will surprise him and catch his attention and you will have a few seconds to capture him in a nice and alert posture.

16. Move slowly:

Unless you are adept at documentary, on-the-fly, photography where the animal is moving a lot and you capture the perfect moment of them walking, sniffing, jumping, hunting, etc., learn to move slowly around them while taking their pictures.

This is especially important with cats, who are prone to either radically change the expression on their face (and ears) at your slight movements, or split the scene altogether. This is also true of dogs that are in a sit or lay-stay position.

Pet Photography with Award Winning photographer - Carli Davidson.

                                          

17. Experiment:

Take your time and enjoy the session, pet photography is meant to be enjoyed.  

Try different approaches, angles and compositions, take as many shots you can.

Yesteryears we had Brownie cameras with roll films, every click had to deliver. Today we have digital cameras with memory cards and delete facility.

Shoot and experiment a lot, you will have time to worry about the results later.