taking great photos of your pet
Happy Friday and Labor Day weekend to everyone! I’m excited for today’s guest post since it’s about a few of my fave things – dogs (duh) and photography. Check out these amazing tips for taking great photos of your pet from Madison at The Wetherills Say I Do (with assistance from her super cute model Azi). Amazing tips, right? Make sure to check out her lovely blog and have a great holiday weekend – enjoy the last days of summa!
Hello Jade and Oak readers! I’m super excited to get to hang out with you all today! My name is Madison and I blog over at The Wetherills Say I Do, a faith based lifestyle blog where I post everything from recipes to blogging tips!
We’ve had our sweet pup for over a year now. Before we adopted her, I used to joke about how many photos I would take of our kids someday and how they’d probably hate me for it. Well, now that we’ve had Azi for over a year, I can definitely say that was an understatement. In a year’s time, I’ve taken over 1000 photos of our dog. I guess that makes me a crazy dog lady?
I’ve learned a few things, 1000 photos later and I’d love to share some tips on getting great pictures of your pet.
Plan ahead
When you’re trying to take semi-staged photos of your pets, you’ll want to plan ahead. There will always be those funny moments where you just snap a picture on your phone, but for times when you want great photos of your pet, make sure you plan ahead for a time and place. Even if it’s just in your house, setting aside a time will be a great stress reliever.
Have someone help
We are very lucky to have a well behaved dog that likes to listen. But even so, I still have my husband help me when I need to take certain pictures of Azi. If you have someone helping you, even getting them to just call your dogs name will really help keep the focus of your dog. Azi likes to tilt her head and perk her ears up when her name is called, which always make for adorable pictures.
Tire them out
If you have a puppy, you will most definitely want to get your pup tired out before trying to make him or her sit still! Even an older dog will listen and focus better when they are already tired from playing or walking in the neighborhood.
Have treats handy!
The best way to reward good behavior is with an incentive! Have a few small treats on hand to reward your pup for listening well. Hugs and kisses are also great forms of rewards
Find the best lighting
Having quality lighting is essential to great photography. If you are outside, try to be under a tree that completely shadows your pup or shooting on a day where the weather is overcast. If you’re inside, stick close to a window where there is the most natural light.
Remove distractions
This is to keep your pup’s attention but also to not have distractions within the photo itself. Just like any other kind of photography, when there is something that looks like it doesn’t belong, that’s where your eye will naturally go. Try to avoid those outliers to get the best photos possible! If your dog is easily distracted outside, trying to take focused pictures outdoors may not be the best option. I’ve found that taking pictures where Azi is most of the time (aka, our bed or her throne) really helps to keep her focused. Especially in our pup’s first year, it’s been so awesome to get to look back on pictures and really see how much she has grown and how much she has grown into her personality. She’s such a little goofball and I love getting to look back on those photos. For more Azi goodness, you can check out some of my posts about her or you can check out her hashtag (could she be anymore spoiled?) #aziadventures. I hope you’ll stop by my blog and say hello! I’m also hosting an awesome giveaway for a Fotostrap camera strap today!Do you like to take photos of your pets?
