Three Ways To Improve Your Pet Photography!

Have you ever tried to take photographs of your dog and wound up with a tiny, blurry blob in the corner? Do you have problems getting your dog to look at the camera? Do you know how to make your dog look attentive and happy? Have you ever tried to take a portrait of your cat, and everyone wound up bleeding before it was over? Or you couldn't find it again for three days?

Taking good pet portraits can sometimes be a challenge but if you know, three basic steps, you too can do a good portrait of your pet Fido or Felix. It's really not that difficult.

First, consider the photo as a whole.

What will you be using as your portraits' background? If you are planning to do this out of doors, are there distracting objects out there? Are there people walking by? Is there trash on the ground? Poles, trees or fences sticking out of your dogs head? Are there cars in the background? Kids, balls or ducks that the dog may want to chase after and play with? Just a few minutes contemplation will dramatically improve the odds of getting a good pet portrait.

Second, do you have someone that can help you?

If you are trying to do a pet portrait by yourself it increases the difficulty. If possible try to have someone helping you. Fido simply doesn't understand what you're doing, and every time you back off to take the picture, they will follow you. You can't really get upset at them, they're just trying to be friendly. Cats are a different story, they won't follow you. They simply take off and when you turn around and look through the viewfinder, they're nowhere to be found.

If you have a helper, they can control the dog or cat while you get in position to take the picture. Then, you zoom in on the dog or cat, get yourself focused, and when you are ready, have your assistant take one step to the side while you fire the shutter. All this happens before the dog or cat can take off. Sometimes you have to be pretty fast on the trigger, but with your assistant there to catch them, they will be reposed and ready for their next shot before you know it.

Third, you need to get them looking at the camera with an attentive expression.

This is fairly easy to do. For dogs, get yourself a squeak toy, preferably something flat, and squeak it. At first, hold it out of sight and squeak very softly. The dog's ears will be up at attention, and they'll have an inquisitive look on their face while trying to find out where the sound originated. This technique will work for several shots. Once they've located the squeaker, then you can squeak it louder. When the squeaking no longer attracts their attention, you can flip it up into the air. That's why you want something flat, so it won't roll away. Flipping the squeaker into the air also has the added benefit of making them pull their tongue back into their mouth.

Be sure to get several shots with their tongues both in and out of their mouths. With their tongues in their mouths, it's a more classic portrait. With the tongue out of the mouth, they look happier.

Cats don't seem to be as interested in sounds as dogs are so the squeaker doesn't work as well with them. For a cat, you can use a squeaker for one or two shots but after that you need to use a visual cue. A peacock feather works wonders.

Try using these deceptively simple steps and I think you'll be amazed at the results you get.

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