Great Pet Portraits: 7 Tips

We love our pets. They do such cute, adorable, and funny things. They are more often than not, an integral part of our family. As such, you probably want to capture your beloved friend with great pet pictures. What if, when you go to take those perfect pet portraits, they run and hide, or simply won't cooperate? In this article we give some great tips to help you next time you go for that dog photo or pet picture of your best friend.

Here are some tips to help you to get some great pet pictures.

1. The first and most important step that will help the most is training. Your pet does not need to enroll for a 4-year pet school degree with an online dog picture heralding his success, but some simple commands will help. Simple commands like stand, stay, lay down or sit are easy to teach, with some patience added, and will help in taking your pet pictures.

2. Awaking a pet out of a deep sleep and forcing him to face a camera will not give you good results. If you wish to take pictures of your pet, try to take photos while they are playing or relaxing by that nicely lit window. It's a good idea to have your camera nearby at all times, not just one moment when you decide now is the time to have pet portraits. Take some time with it.
3. Using natural lighting is best. If enough, do not use your flash. Pets often times do not like the flash of a camera; they can learn to squint or run away when they see that camera come out.

4. If your pet is already camera-shy, try being as discreet as possible by not making it so obvious to your pet that you are up to something. Of course, with a cat this can be easier considering the attention span of a cat, but then again, they can be more wise to your ways, knowing that you are indeed up to something...it all depends on the personality of the pet. You can get a great, expressional dog photo just by saying the right word, in the right tone of voice, to a dog, but nice try with a cat.

Go for a nice, sophisticated shot of your cat if he's a snob. (Remember, you want to capture the essence of your pet in the best 'light' possible. If your cat does not fit that stereotype, a relaxed, playful or 'thoughtful' look is great. That's applies not just to cats, but dogs and whatnot too...well, maybe not if your pet is...oh, a snake perhaps.

5. If you are looking for that thoughtful or playful look, look to a friend or family member to help. A string with catnip or honeysuckle works great for a cat, squeaky toys work well with dogs.

6. Stay patient. If you are getting frustrated, time to take a break. It should be a fun, enjoyable time. You want to remember your pet...not the day you worked up a sweat, dusted the floor with your clothes, banged your knee, and yelled at your kids or whatever else trying to get that perfect dog photo. Plus, your pets can pick up on your stress and they may start to associate that camera, or how YOU behave with that camera with a bad time...like teenagers during family portrait time...NOT fun usually.

7. Take your pets coloring into consideration when choosing backgrounds. The less 'busy' the scene, the better, as well.

Remember; do not put pressure on your pet to face the camera. If you do want a shot looking directly into the camera, best way to achieve this is by first getting the camera and crop prepared. Once ready to 'snap', a louder, unusual sound just before shooting, works best for dogs. A soft, quiet sound, works best for cats to get their attention.

Be prepared to take a lot of bad photos to get a really good one. It will be better if you use a digital camera. With a digital camera you have lots of room for trial and error. You will be able to select your favorites and dispose the rest. Of course, that can be a problem too. If you are anything like me, you hate to erase any photos of your pet.

Most of all see it as fun, not a chore and before you know it you'll have awesome looking perfect pet portraits of your pet and maybe other pets too!

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