If you know me at all you know that I am so, so in love with this boy. I’ve known him for over three years and he’s just the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. His name is Bandit and he’s got four legs and a whip for tail. Yes, my boyfriend Ryan knows and he has a similar obsession with our boy.
Bad jokes aside, I adore this pup. He’s probably my most-photographed subject and I wanted to share some of the tips that help me get great photos of my pet with all of you.
So many times I see pictures of pups (and pets of all kinds!) from way up at our eye level and while it’s hard to take photos of our fur babies that aren’t cute, these simple steps can help you capture their personalities a little more fully.
Get down to their eye level: If you only take one thing from this post, let it be this. Getting down to (or bringing them up to) eye level is a great way to capture their little personalities. Test it out. Take one photo looking down at your pet and then a second one in the same location, but down near their noses. I’ll bet any money the second pic will be your favorite.
Bribery is encouraged: Break out those treats! Holding your pets favorite treat or toy up above your camera can help me them maintain eye contact. Pet photography is one place that bribery is 100% acceptable.
Don’t be afraid to get close: There are few things in life that I love as much as I love close-up shots of puppy noses or little tiny kitty toes. Getting detail shots of your fur baby can help you capture the unique little things that them special, those things that you’ll always remember.
Capture the action: Get some photos of them in action. Whether that’s playing fetch, curling up in your lap or doing one of the tricks you’ve taught them, getting photos of your fur babies in action can be so fun (and sometimes hilarious when you see their expressions in the pictures!)
Don’t expect perfection: If your pet isn’t super well trained (guilty!), that’s perfectly fine but don’t expect perfectly posed photos, facing the camera. Some of my favorite photos of my Bubs are when he’s sleeping, in full sprint or rolling around with my boyfriend, just goofing around. Those are the photos that really capture his personality. Those are the photos that I’ll want to keep for when he’s not by my side.
Honestly though, if there’s one thing you get from reading this it’s that you should just take the pictures. I hope these tips help, but I also hope they just get you thinking about picking up your camera or your phone to get photos of your fur babies. We don’t get to keep them forever, but the photos can help you hold on to those memories long after our fur babes are gone.
