5 Tips For Taking Better Pet Photos.

1. Light, light and right light.

It doesn't matter if you photographing indoors or outside you need light for your subject to be proper exposed. But not all light is created equal! You turn the light on at home to take a pic and your dog will look bluish or yellow, depending on what kind of light  you have. Better way is to position your model close to the window with sheer curtains on, so they will act as a filter for  sunlight or take pictures on cloudy days when sunlight is not hard.

The best light for outdoor photography is found in early mornings or late evenings, its called a golden hour, or during overcast days, when clouds acting as filters for  harsh sunlight.

2.Get on their eye level.

Get yourself low, and I mean very low. Lie down on the ground if you need . You want to be at the same level as their eyes or lower to show them in a flattering perspective. Its also help animals feel more relaxed and enhance their personality.

Or you can put them higher. Find a log, a stone, a staircase, or a bench and it will make a huge difference for your knees and your photos.

3.Pose, please.

How to make your dog to look at your  camera or a cellphone? Eye contact is very important. They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul and we want to capture the soul of our pet. Attract their attention! Make a sound, use a squicker from an old toy ( I have tons of them since my girl likes to see what is inside her new toy on the first day), use an app with dogs sounds,or just find anything around  to use like dry leaves or empty plastic bottle.

If your dog is food motivated, you can hold a treat just above your lens to keep its eyes where you want them.

Animals and children are  alike in very short attention span, but luckily you only need is a couple of seconds to press that button.

4.Watch the background!

The best photos come with a creamy, soft, nondistracting background. Yes, you need a very expensive and fast lens for it, but you can use some tricks to get almost the same results without it.

The further your fur baby away from the background the more blurry and softer it will get, and that is what we want.

Use telephoto lens, like 70-200mm, around 200mm to compress a distant animal for a flattering perspective. Its also the best lens for action shots.

Watch out for trees, fenses, poles, colorful garbage cans or anything distacticng in that background. You don't want the tree trunk coming from your dog's head or red hydrant in the left upper corner to pull your attention from your subject. Sometimes all it takes is just move  a little to the side.

5. Train your dog.

It should be the first tip, but I saved the best for later. Training your dog to follow your commands will make not only your photography, but your relationship with the pet more joyful. Training will provide mental stimulation which helps to keep your dog from boredom and make them happy. Training builds confidence by providing a sense of accomplishment. Finaly, training will strengthen the bond we have with our dogs through positive attention. The more we train them the better they understand what we want, and finally they become the perfect photo models for our photo sessions!