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Taking A Great Pet Photo

Writer's picture: LeEtte ForteLeEtte Forte


Here at Cape Pet Sitting, we pride ourselves on taking great pictures of our client’s pets and sharing them with pet parents in our visit updates. We are often asked how we are able to get such great pictures so we thought we’d share some of our tips!


SEIZE THE MOMENT

Pets will usually hold still for a few seconds longer after exercise or play. That calming down time can provide opportunity for a big dog “smile” or bright cat eyes to capture. Spend a moment watching your pet's movement to anticipate where they will most likely be positioned as you line up your shot.


CONSIDER YOUR LIGHTING

Try to keep your light source behind you or off to the side whenever possible. Pictures taken outside in natural lighting usually turn out best. Avoid using a flash since this can make the pet’s eyes look like they are glowing.


LOWER YOUR ANGLE

Don’t be afraid to crouch down. Having your phone at your pet's eye level, or positioned lower to the ground and slightly angled up, offers a unique perspective into how our pet’s see the world. Holding your phone upside down with your arm fully extended at your side is another way to lower your angle without having to bend over.


CAMERA SETTINGS

Using a “burst” or “multi-shot” setting can be extremely helpful. Snapping as many pictures as possible, as quickly as possible is the secret to getting that one incredible photo!


“Portrait” mode can produce a more crisp, professional-looking image while also giving you the ability to blur backgrounds and focus color points.


FOCUS YOUR SUBJECT

Keep the subject the main focus of your picture instead of the background. Move toward your pet to fill the entire frame. Be careful with the zoom feature on some phones as this can distort the image and cause it to appear blurry.


GET THEIR ATTENTION

Be creative to get your pet to look in the direction you want. "Treat" words, weird sounds, crinkling a dry leaf or bag, coughing and pretending to sneeze all work well for getting heads to turn. If you have an object of interest in hand, make a swift motion to get their attention then slowly move the object around to position their head for your picture.


PHOTO APPS

Play around with different photo apps! Cropping tools will help you to center and zoom in on your subject. Words and stickers can turn ordinary pictures into something funny or cute by adding context and explaining facial expressions or distractions. Frames can add a special touch for birthdays, holidays and seasonal memories.


BE PATIENT AND HAVE FUN WITH YOUR SETTINGS

Be prepared to take a lot of pictures before you get just the right one. Pets are notorious for turning their heads at just the right second! Knowing how to capture a pet’s funny quirks and personality can be the difference between a good pet photo and a great one.


Check out some of our amazing pet pictures and let us flood your feed with positive, happy pictures of pets by following us on Instagram and Facebook!



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