Pet photography is a fun and rewarding hobby. Whether you’re a pet owner or not, it’s hard to deny that animals are some of the most photogenic subjects. Capturing their unique personalities, silly moments, and cute looks can be challenging at times, but it can result in some stunning portraits when done right.
Use natural light
Natural light is the best kind of light. It’s easy to forget that natural light is usually your best choice, whether you’re shooting in a studio or on location. Why? Because it’s free and it’s always available! But there are other reasons why natural lighting is better:
- Natural light is more flattering than artificial light. As a general rule of thumb, softer lighting looks better in photos (especially if you’re aiming for something artsy). Natural daylight typically yields smoother results than artificial lights because they’re less harsh and produce more excellent shadows—even when you’re shooting outdoors at sunrise or sunset on a cloudy day!
Capture your pet’s personality
When you want a photo of your pet, try capturing their personality. You could take pictures of your pet doing things unique to them, like jumping on the bed, shredding paper, and playing with toys. Another option is to have them pose in front of a plain background for a more classic look.
Take photos of everyday life.
Most pet owners enjoy capturing their pets in everyday life. Photography is a great way to get to know who your pet is and what they like. You can catch their personalities, expressions, eye contact, and body language by showing them off in everyday situations.
For example: If you have a cat that likes sitting on the window sill or loves being on the bed with you, try taking some photos of them during those activities. If you have two dogs who love playing together, take some pictures of them!
Get down on their level.
This is a simple but effective method to make your pet feel at ease with you. Getting down on their level will allow you to take pictures from their perspective, which often results in more natural photos.
- Get down on your knees. If you can manage this comfortably and safely, it’s the best way to go!
- Use a stool or chair. Seats with an adjustable height are much more manageable than chairs since they allow me more freedom of movement (so I don’t have to contort my body into weird positions). You could also use something like an exercise ball (the kind used for yoga) if you want something softer rather than more challenging surfaces like concrete or tile floors.
- Use a prop to raise yourself slightly above them so that they’re not towering over you—this may make them feel even more comfortable because they’ll know where they stand about what’s happening around them instead of feeling trapped inside someone else’s frame of reference!
Capture silly moments
If your pet is a dog, get him to make a funny face or jump into the air. If they’re more cat-like, try contacting them to do something they don’t usually do, like jumping up on things or sitting with their mouth open. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate—look for unexpected actions and then capture them at the moment!
Get closer than usual and wait for your animal friend to do something silly. Be patient; you might need to wait a few minutes before something entertaining happens, like when my cat jumped onto my shoulders or our dog started chasing his tail around the living room couch!
Keep an eye out for exciting backgrounds.
- Look for interesting textures, colours, and patterns in the background. For example, if your pet is wearing a nice patterned sweater or has an unusual coloured coat, consider using that as a focal point.
- Make sure the background is not distracting or too busy. You want to avoid anything that draws attention away from your pet—you should always be able to see their face clearly in every photo you take!
- Consider using natural light whenever possible because it helps make images appear softer and more flattering than artificial lighting (and there’s no risk of tripping over cords or accidentally knocking over lamps).
Please keep it simple and avoid clutter.
Pets are known for being curious, but they have one thing in common: they don’t like clutter. Clutter can be distracting, even for the photographer! The same goes for your pet—it may not be able to tell you that it’s annoyed by the stuffed toys on your table or the crumpled paper behind them and all over the floor, but it will show it through its behaviour.
Even if your pet isn’t bothered by an abundance of clutter around them, you still want to keep things as simple as possible so that there aren’t any distractions from capturing their true personality.
Focus on eyes and expressions
When capturing your pet’s personality, eyes are essential to a portrait. They can tell you much about what your pet is thinking and feeling, and they’ll help you capture a moment.
- Eyes can create mood: Pet photography is about creating an emotion in your viewer. You can do this by using just one or two colours or by telling a story through subtle details like texture and lighting.
- Eyes tell stories: When we take photos of our pets, we usually aim to share them with friends and family—but sometimes, it’s also fun to create an entire narrative around your images! Your viewers will be able to feel connected with the animal because they’ll know where it came from (i.e., why there’s mud on his fur).
Try a few different angles for variety and interest.
If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, try a few different angles. Different angles can make all the difference in your photo, and your pet will look different depending on where you are when you snap the shot. If you have a tripod, use it to keep your camera steady while shooting from above or below. Or get down on your knees or even lie on the floor for fun shots!
Try to include their eyes in the frame as much as possible—this is one of their most expressive features!
Your pet has a beautiful spirit, so try to capture that in your photos.
Initially, this might sound like a big task, but it’s not as hard as you think. The best way to do this is by taking photos of your pets in their natural environment and capturing them when they play or sleep. You may even get lucky enough to catch them eating!
This list may seem daunting—but it doesn’t have to be! The most important thing is that you have fun with your pet. If you don’t feel like being creative today, take photos of them doing regular dog or cat things in your home instead:
- I am playing with another animal or toy.
- Digging in the dirt (if they are allowed outside).
- I am sleeping on a favourite blanket or pillow.
Keeping things simple will help ensure that even if an exciting moment doesn’t come along, you can still get some images worth sharing on social media or printing out for their scrapbook!
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