Top 10 Tips For Photographing Your Pets At Home

While we are all home right now is a great time o get out your camera and take some fun pictures of your pets. Here are our bes tips on how to take the best photographs of your pets.

Top 10 Tips For Photographing Your Pets At Home

1.Use natural light 

When you are photographing your pets, be sure to turn off your flash. Natural light will create a beer finished picture and the flash from your camera will scare your pet. Using a flash also results in red eye and no one wants that.

2.Take it outside

It’s a great idea to pick a cloudy day and take your pets outside, ino their environment, to photograph them. You will ge more dynamic shots with your pets being able to run and play outside and you won’t have to worry about them taking out half your house along the way.

3.Get on their level

When you are photographing your pets, you will ge the best images if you get down on the ground so you can photograph them on their level. You don; wan to be shooting down onto them or at a weird angle. Being level with them will give you the most dynamic and fun pictures.

4.Focus on their eyes

When you are taking pictures of your pets, focus the camera’s attention on their eyes. You can do this with your iphone by moving the yellow square around until it is over your pets eyes.  Focusing on your pet’s eyes you will capture their personality and it will give life to your photos.

5.Capture your pet in their element 

Every pet has something that makes them uniquely “them.”  Does your cat stare out the window in a way that makes you wonder what they are thinking? Does your dog stick their tongue out of the window in a way that makes you laugh each time? When you are taking photos of your pets, capture them in ways that highlight those little things that make them special and uniquely themselves

6.Know the moods of your pet

When you are planning your pet photo shoot, think of what kind of pictures you want to get.  if you don’t want them to run off or be energetic then get them when they just woke up or are tired (and vice versa). Unlike when you are photographing kids, a tired animal is much easier to work with.

7.Get those action shots 

 If your dog is energetic and you want to capture them catching a ball in air, make sure you have the most light possible to freeze the shot. You can hold your finger down when you go o snap the picture so you can be sure to get the best shot. 

8.Composition 

 When you are lining up your pet photos, there are a few things o think about that will frame out your pictures and make them look professional. The first thing o keep in mind when you assessing up your shot is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is like a visual grid that you apply to the subject you are photographing.  When you are focusing your shot, imagine a grid that divides up your image using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines. Then,  position the important elements in your photo along those lines, or at the points where they meet. 

When you are composing your photograph, you will also want to remove any distracting backgrounds. A noisy background will drown out your focal subject.  

When choosing a background you can use pretty much whatever you like as long as you keep the above two tips in mind. One idea is to find a brightly colored wall, or create a draped bright color background. A pop of bright color makes for a really great portrait.

9.Get out the treats

When you are going to do a photoshoot with your pet, go ahead and get out the treats. A little delicious bribery goes a long way with helping your pets cooperate while you are photographing them. This leads into our last tip!

10.Get your pets comfortable with the camera

As with most things, practice makes (almost) perfect. The more your pet learns to associate having their picture taken with good things, like treats, an extra walk that day, or some extra attention, the easier it will be to do a photoshoot with them.

That’s a wrap

The most important thing to do when you are photographing your pet is to try and have fun. Snapping fun photos of your pets can be a really creative outlet, and it can also be a nice bonding time for you and your pet. Practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to get your camera out and start snapping when the mood strikes.