Today is All-American Pet Photo Day! This day is celebrated every July 11th and promotes sharing images of your pet across social media. On All-American Pet Photo Day, we’re reminded of the joy and love that pets can bring to our lives, as we showcase them to fellow pet lovers far and wide. To participate in this fun event, all you’ll need is some show-stopping snaps of your beloved pet or pets!
Everybody thinks that their pet is the cutest animal on the planet – and they’re not wrong! When you have such an adorable animal companion with a great personality, it’s natural to want to take a million perfect photographs of them to display everywhere. However, mastering cat or dog photography (or bird photography or goldfish photography or… you get the idea!) can be a bit harder than it looks. It can be difficult to capture good photos of your pet due to their sometimes unpredictable nature.
So, what’s the secret to capturing a spectacular photo of your pet? It all starts with thinking about the experience from your pet’s point of view! Keeping your pet entertained, comfortable, and feeling safe will yield the best photography results. It’s also important to consider how you’ll take the pictures, and how you will go on to edit them in the post-shoot stage. For this special national day, we’re going to share our top tips for pet photography with you, so you can snap some gorgeous images of your furry, scaly, or feathered friends. These pet photography tips will help you get the shot you’re dreaming of without stressing yourself – or the pet you love – out. Let’s get started!
Start With a Comfortable Location
To create a natural-looking photo, make the experience feel as natural as possible for your pet. This means doing the actual pet photography in a place where your animal feels happy and relaxed, like their bed, your backyard, at the park, or even by their favorite window. Natural light is usually the best option for beautiful pet photos!
Take Your Time
Be prepared to wait a while to get the shot you’re hoping to capture, and allot at least a half-hour to find the right moment. A more relaxed vibe from you will help your pet feel happier as well, and will give you the space for wonderful moments to unfold!
Shoot at Your Animal’s Level
Another way to help your pet feel comfortable is to snap your shots from their eye level, kneeling down to place your face (and your camera) directly in their line of sight. This way, they’ll feel a little less intimidated than they will if you’re looming over them.
Don’t Make It About the Camera
Pets relate to people a lot better than they relate to inanimate objects like phones or cameras. So, make sure they’re looking at a human face, and not a lens, when you snap your shots. This can also help you focus on their eyes, which photo professionals say is essential for a wonderful cat or dog photo! Help your pet act a little more naturally by using the timer function on your camera, and by holding the camera away from your face when you shoot. You could even recruit a friend to snap photos while you play with or talk to your pal.
Pick the Right Props
Another trick for a natural-looking picture is to distract pets from realizing they’re being photographed at all. If your dog or cat doesn’t mind dressing up, try on a few cat or dog wardrobe options and capture their reaction to their new look. If your pet would prefer not to wear clothes, give them one of their favorite chew toys or stuffed animals to use as a cute prop!
Highlight Their Unique Personality
Some pets are placid and prefer to snuggle all day, whereas others are more active and athletic. Play to your pet’s strengths by accepting them just as they are during their photo shoot! If they’ll pose in a calm manner, great. But, if they’re more likely to jump and run around, take some action shots instead!
Use Treats
As a distraction tool and “look over here” motivator, food can be a mixed bag. Some animals will respond well, but others get way too distracted by treats. Test this out beforehand to see what inspires a natural reaction from your pet! And, always make sure to reward your pet with their favorite treats as a thanks for their cooperation and good behavior after the photo shoot is complete.
Take Lots of Shots
Rather than trying to convince the unwilling pet to sit still, take a lot of photos at once, so you can pick the one that depicts the moment you’re looking for. The trick to that is choosing the ‘burst’ mode which takes a whole series of images at rapid speed. Or, if you’re using a professional camera, ensure it’s set to a fast shutter speed. This increases your odds of having the right shot when you review!
Be Ready to Adapt
Working with animals can often go haywire if they lose interest or get distracted. If your original idea doesn’t work and your pet isn’t in the mood to cooperate, don’t despair – go with the flow and adapt! Scrap it and try something new. We know your photos will be just as sweet!
Be Willing to Edit
Filters and editing apps – they’re not just for Instagram influencers! You can use easy online tools to modify the images you capture to create the ideal shot. These apps can also allow you to eliminate flaws like red-eye, or even remove items you don’t want in the final shot.
How to Use Zazzle to Display Your Pawfect Pics
At Zazzle, we’re experts in photo printing. Whether you’d like to enlarge your pet pictures on a big stretched canvas for your home, or order a small photo plaque for your desk at work, we’ve got it all! It’s easy to make amazing custom home décor, clothing, gifts, and stationery items with your finished pet pictures. Just choose your favorite item, upload your favorite photos, and then we’ll take care of the rest!
Well, that’s it! Our top pet photography tips and tricks all wrapped up for you on this notable national day. If you have any other awesome pet portrait photography tips that we didn’t already mention, please share them in the comments below this post! We hope that you have a fabulous All-American Pet Photo day with your loyal critters, and manage to capture their essence in a photo that you can be proud of for years to come.
Editor’s Note: Originally published in September 2019, this article has been refreshed with the latest information for accuracy and completeness.
Ella is a content specialist from Cork, Ireland. Her passions include spending time with her two energetic dogs, fashion, photography, and trying new vegan food!
Going on walks to the park or taking them on a hike is a great way to snap great photos! You’ll have great lighting, great scenery, and they’ll be excited and happy with the exercise. The best photos come when your pets are happy!
These are all good tips. There are some other important things to consider:
1. Make sure your camera setting for resolution is at the maximum setting. The larger the megapixel and the higher the resolution, the better the results. The pictures will come out more in focus and you can see more details.
2. Natural light source (sunlight) will result in better pictures than artificial lighting. Having the pet be lit slightly from the side will create depth and details.
3. Do not use a flash, as this will wash out the colors and details.
4. Do not have the light source coming from behind your pet (backlight). Instead, the light source should be in front of them and slightly to the side.
5. Taking a picture at the animal’s level will result in better pictures and look more natural. It will also eliminate the foreshortening that is created when photographing from above. Foreshortening means the head will be disproportionately larger than the body, resulting in a cartoonish look.
6. Use your zoom function, and don’t get too close to the pet. Sitting too close will result in foreshortening as well, making the nose appear very large in relation to the head. Instead, step back a bit and use your zoom.
And finally, just keep taking pictures, and keep practicing!
Great article!
One trick I have used is to take video and then choose the best frames out as snapshots. Another great tool is the burst shot setting on your camera. I also keep my iPhone with me as much as possible so I am always ready to grab that once in a lifetime pose. My iPhone6 takes amazing photos even close up and in bad lighting that don’t need too much editing.
haha my pets do NOT stay still. – But this is true, patience is key.. (something that is hard to find sometimes).
very cute 🙂