Pet Photography

Top tips for taking photos of your pets

As cherished members of the family, our pets make wonderful photography subjects, even if they are a little more challenging to photograph than our human family members. Fortunately, you don’t need your own photography studio or a lot of expensive equipment to create stunning pet portraits; a little bit of planning and practice can go a long way.

Whether you want to document your new puppy’s antics or create a regal portrait of your cat, you can improve your chances of getting great results with your cat or dog photography by following these tips. 

1. Be patient

Much like children, dogs, cats and other pets are unpredictable and don’t usually like to stay still for too long. So the most important thing you’ll need when taking photos of your pets is patience. Try to keep the photoshoot enjoyable for both you and your pets, and put more emphasis on capturing fun and spontaneous moments than on creating perfect portraits.

 2. Find ways to get your pet’s attention

Although you don’t have to have your pet looking directly at the camera every time, you’ll generally get better images if your pet is paying attention to you. Every animal is different, of course, so you may have to experiment a bit to find out what works best. For dog photography, you might find that having someone stand next to you with a treat works wonders to keep your dog looking in your direction. For cat photography, a fun toy can often work well to capture the cat’s full attention.

3. Start with natural light

If you don’t have much experience shooting in artificial light, you’ll generally get better results with natural lighting as this will make it easier to shoot at higher shutter speeds. With this in mind, you could bring your pet outside and photograph them as they play or run. The hours just after sunrise or before sunset tend to be good for portraits, as the light will be softer and warmer. If you want a more classic portrait, you could also position the pet near a large window or door where there is plenty of natural light to work with.

 Ideas for showcasing your pet photos

Like most pet owners and animal lovers, you probably have a growing collection of photos that feature your beloved pet. So why not turn some of the best ones into a stunning pet photo book or even a piece of wall art or photo calendar featuring your four-legged friend? Here are some ideas:

Pet photo book

A photo book featuring your dog, cat or other pet as the lead character is a wonderful way to honour and celebrate their role as a cherished member of the family. You can create different chapters or spreads for various activities such as sleeping, eating, playing or outdoor adventures, and add in your own text with important dates, cute stories or funny captions.

If you’re short on time, you can use the Bob Books app to turn the best photos from your camera roll into a beautiful pet photobook in just a couple of minutes. All you have to do is select the Two-Minute book option, choose your preferred style and select the photos you’d like to include, and then let the app automatically place the images throughout the book for you.