15 Tips for Taking Better Photos of Your Pets

Photographs are really important, they help you chronicle the important things in your life and you can never really take enough of them. Pets are of course a big part of this, and the more photos you take of them, the better you can keep your memories of them alive. But how can you go about taking the best possible photos of your pets, ones that you’d be proud to frame and have around your home? We’ve put together some great tips on how to help achieve this, as taking photos of your pets is probably one of the hardest things to take photos of out there, they never do what you want them to!

1. Turn off Flash

Be sure to turn off the flash on your camera so you don’t startle your pet. Not only could this be damaging for your pet, but could also make them scared of your camera, and not want to take part in having their photo taken in the future.

2. Help Them Get Comfortable Around You

Some pets can be very shy, and if you scare them, they won’t want to be around to have their photo taken. Build up a rapport with your pet by showing them affection, maybe offering them a treat. This lets them know that being around you is OK and even fun.

3. Try and Capture Their Character

Ask yourself  how would you describe your pet to someone else. Would you say they are lively and active? If so why not try taking photos of your pets doing something impressive. But what if they’re lazy? You could take an adorable photo of them snoozing away in their bed. The photo shouldn’t just show us what they look like, but also how they act and their traits, get creative!

4. Put Your Camera on Action/Sports Mode

A lot of cameras have an ‘action’ or ‘sport’ setting, which means that the photo is taken very quickly and the shutter opens and closes fast. This is essential to catch the best photos of your pets as they are notorious for not standing still. Think about when you take a photo of other people, they’re usually well behaved and stand still smiling and posing right? Not so much for pets. Unless they’re very well behaved they won’t stay still for long, so putting your camera into this mode increases the chance of capturing a great photo with as little blur as possible.

5. Set to Continuous Focusing

This option means that the camera is constantly trying to focus on what you’re taking a photo of, meaning your maximising your chance of the photo being in focus while your pet is moving around.

6. Use Multi Burst/Continuous Shooting Mode

Because pets move around so much, you’ll want to make sure that your camera is set to ‘burst mode’ when possible. This means that when you hold down the button to take the photo, it takes multiple photos in quick succession instead of the standard one. This means that you have a higher chance of capturing that lucky great photo of when your pet was in just the right position. Looking through 5 similar photos means you can pick out the very best too.

7. Get Them to Focus on a Treat or Toy

A great tip is to dangle a treat or favourite toy just above the camera lens so that it appears as if they are looking at the camera in the photos, when they’re actually looking at the treat not seen in the photo. A lot of the time your pet won’t instinctively look right into the lens like we would, so this is an easy way to help. The photos will look more engaging when your pet looks right at you.

8. Try Making Sounds

Is there a certain sound that gets your pet excited? For example it may be ‘Walks!’ or the sound of a squeaky toy. Try out a few of these sounds while taking photos to see what reactions you can get. There are also a lot of apps out for your phone which act as a soundboard for these kinds of sounds. Just be careful pressing buttons on your phone and holding onto your camera at the same time!

9. Try and Have a Helper

It’s very hard to both grab the pet’s attention and hold the camera still enough to get a good picture. It’s always best if you can find an assistant or ‘wrangler’ to have the sole job of keeping the pet occupied and (hopefully) interested in the camera. That way you can focus on staying as still as possible for focus and finding when a great shot may be about to happen.

10. Get Down Low

For the best shots, you’re going to have to be flexible and willing to get down on your hands and knees. As most pets are smaller than us, photos looking down on them will make them look insignificant and less intimate. However, if you’re taking a photo from low down (either kneeling or actually lying down on the floor), your pet will look larger, and even majestic!

11. Focus on the Eyes!

Your lens should always be focused on your pet’s eyes. The face/eyes are the most important area and will gain the most emotional response from a viewer looking at your photo. Think about it this way, what would be cuter, a cat looking into the camera with his wide eyes or a shot of his tail?

12. Get in Close

Some pets are very small, so it’s important to get quite close to your pet. This will make your pet look more impressive and the photo will feel more like a beautiful portrait, instead of them being lost in a background or scene. However, be careful not to annoy them too much by doing this. How would you feel having a camera constantly pointing near your face? Give them lots of breaks from this invasive behaviour when you’re taking photos of them.

13. Reward Them for Behaving

If your pet is well behaved and doing a lot of what you’re asking, please make sure that you’re rewarding them somehow. This could be a quick cuddle, a favourite treat or toy. It’s an easy way to say thank you and to re-enforce this good behavior for future times when you may take their photo again.

14. Don’t Force Photos of Your Pets

Whatever you do, don’t be forceful when it comes to taking photos of your pets. If you’re forcing them to hold certain positions and they become bored, they’ll see the whole act of having their photo taken as a negative experience. This will of course translate into the photos and you’ll have a very upset looking pet in them! If you find they are becoming frustrated, try having a break and giving them some care, and perhaps try again later. Always be patient with your pets.

15. Have Fun, Be Playful and Creative!

Arguably most important of all, have fun! Be creative when taking photos of your pets, why not try dressing them up or having your family pose with them.]]>