[CorkyMax]

This is from a newsletter I get;
5 Tips To Improve Your Pet Photography

Mark Rogers

Other than baby photos, pictures of pets are among the most popular in any household. Unfortunately, they also tend to suffer the most from poor quality or, as we term it in the trade, snapshot-itis. You may have this problem if friends start walking away fast when you mention the latest photos of your cat or if your dog’s loving brown eyes end up glowing green like some malevolent demon in every shot you take.

Well, here are 5 surefire tips to help avoid snapshot-itis

1) Change angles

Most pet photos are taken from the perspective of a human being looking down while the pet looks up. Bor-rinnnnnng! Try something different and get down at their level or, if they’re moving, pan with them as you take the shot.

2) Stick with natural light. Turn off or cover the on-camera flash

On-camera flashes are evil. They flatten everything out, cast harsh shadows and are the source of the infamous glowing green pet eyes. If you have to use a flash go with an off-camera one and bounce the light off a ceiling or wall.

3) Stay out of direct sun and shoot in the morning or late afternoon

Contrary to popular belief, bright sunlight is not a photographers friend. It wreaks havoc with your exposure and you typically end up with lots of nasty shadows in places you don’t want them. I avoid photographing subjects outside in direct light except first thing in the morning or in the late afternoon before sunset when the light is angled low.

4) Don’t wait for the perfect moment and don’t be afraid to take lots of shots but…

Most of us are shooting digital these days so you can essentially take as many pictures as you want. With pets, unpredictability is the rule of law. You never know how a shoot is going to go. All you can do is be there and hope you catch the moment. This requires taking a lot of shots in quick sequence and culling through them later for the best one.

5) …make sure you edit yourself

Some of the most important work happens after you shoot. It sounds cliche but less is more. It’s easy to become enamored of the 100 pictures you took of Spot playing with his new ball but chances are your friends won’t feel the same way. Limit what you show people to only the very best.

Mark Rogers is a San Francisco-based professional pet photographer. His most recent work can be seen on his Smile Like a Dog blog and you can also follow him on twitter.

Will be adding some of the comments (more tips from readers) here so will take a little extra time to get it all here as I need to go back and copy some of the remarks!

[CorkyMax]

A couple additional tips:

#1. Conscript the help of an assistant–a friend or family member who can stand out of camera range to engage the pet’s attention with sounds, treats, etc.

#2. Focus on the eyes. Sharply focused eyes can elevate a so-so photo to one of artistry. The eyes are the windows to the soul, and this saying was never more true when it comes to photography portraits.

#3. Pay attention to setting and background. Try to position your subject in an area or against a backdrop that either adds to the aesthetics of the composition (i.e., in a field of flowers instead of in a patch of dead grass) or provides a neutral background, one which will not detract from your subject.

#4: For portraits, go for bokeh! “Bokeh” is the blurring of the background so that only the pet’s face and/or body are in focus. Achieve this by using a large aperture (i.e., small f-stop number) or positioning your subject with some distance between the subject and the background to force the background out of focus.

If you have a DSLR camera and the kit lens, try getting a basic 50mm 1.8 (about $100-125 for any brand). You’ll get much more of that “portrait” look with the out-of-focus background, and it’ll be much easier to shoot without flash as well.

You can also set the timer on your camera (or if you’ve a dSLR, you can get a remote shutter release) to release the shutter automatically. First, position your camera on a low tripod (like a Gorillapod) or just use a box or something level and sturdy, then you yourself can serve as your own assistant to keep Fido the desired distance from the camera lens. It’ll take a bit of trial and error, but it’ll solve the problem if you do not have an extra body to help serve as your assistant.

[CorkyMax]

I find that if you dont cover your face with the camera you will get much better photos. I dont even look at the screen. I just hold the camera at the right angle and snap a bunch of photos then crop them down. I get great photos like this. I think they get too freaked out when you cover your face and try to hold their attention. I also make silly noises to get cute head tilts and perky ears. I know I look like a fool when I do it, but the photos are worth it. I work with a dog rescue and have tried this on a bunch of dogs and it really works.



Another good tip that I learned is that most dogs respond to “Do you want a treat?” “Do you want to go outside?” etc. So if I just say the first part, “Do you want….” my dog will look at me with a nice expression. Treats are always helpful too!



When my dog’s sitting still but looking towards distant sounds, I line up the shot without calling him yet. Since there is a split-second delay between pressing the shutter and the (digital) camera snapping the shot, and since my dog responds immediately when I call him but looks away again just as the photo ‘takes’, I now press the shutter just as I’m about to call him. It takes practice and lots of attempts, but I’ve been getting some wonderful shots of his face as he responds to my call. This sounds complicated but it’s not: Snap the pic just as you’re about to call your dog. Practice your timing and you’ll get great shots.

[CorkyMax]

Use one of those plastic squeakers from a squeaky toy to get the dog’s attention. I hold it behind my head as I’m shooting, so the dog looks right into the camera. It helps to get a nice alert expression, with ears cocked forward.

If you have a digital SLR, invest in a telephoto lens. It will let you get in close for action shots and tight candid portraits.

I’m a huge fan of Mark Rogers. One thing that I tell my clients is to chose the “action” setting of their camera, pan slightly ahead of their dog, and then shoot away.

The most common complaint I hear from clients is that by the time their camera takes the picture, their dog is long gone because they’re playing and running. This helps a lot and is easy to figure out and makes a huge difference


If you’re photographing a cat or small dog, put it on top of a blanket with a heating pad, set on LOW. They’re more apt to feel comfortable and stay put.
Take collars off if you can. I find them distracting. However, on a black dog, a colorful collar can help differentiate the head & neck.


The pocket digital cameras are too slow for any kind of action shot… Still shots are fine.

Photograph black dogs away from direct sunlight.


Some dogs will tilt there head when you say certain words, but here’s another way to get your dog to tilt his/her head for a photo. — a harmonica. Since it’s a bit difficult to hold the camera and play the harmonica at the same time, you’ll have to either have someone else play the harmonica or place the camera on a tripod. I found, however, this doesn’t work for all dogs … well, it didn’t work for mine. All she did was come towards me when I played it. It did work for my sister’s Dobie, though. It was toooo cute.