From videos of French bulldogs running to sassy cat memes – pets are everywhere on the internet. And that’s something that we can get behind.
While we love taking photos of our pets, sometimes it’s harder to do than Instagram makes it out to seem. Here are our six tips for photographing pets to help step up your pet photo game.
Express their personality
One of the best things about pets are their distinct personalities. Whether you’ve got yourself an excitable puppy or a shy kitten, the best pet photos are the ones that communicate your pets’ personalities. You can help bring them out by dressing your pets in a cute or funny outfit, or by putting them into a context that reflects their personality.
Consider context
Just like humans, pets relax when they’re in a situation they feel comfortable in. One of the best tips for photographing pets is to consider not only how the context of the photo will make them look, but how the context with make your pet feel. If you want to create a cute photo of your puppy, let them cuddle up in a pile of cosy blankets, or take them to the park if you’re after more of an action shot.
Capture them while they're being active
The best photographs are ones that appear natural and candid. To get the best photos of your pets, get them to do something they love. Whether that’s eating from their bowl, playing with one of their furry friends or sitting at attention, giving them something to do will help them concentrate on the task at hand, while giving you the chance to capture an authentic moment.
Check the lighting
One of the most important tips for photographing pets is to check the lighting. It’s important to ensure photos are well-lit and that there are no hot-spots in the frame. Also, think about how the lighting of your photo will affect its mood. While brightly-lit photos are great for action-shots, shadows are good for creating moody tone for more candid photos.
Experiment with angles
As some pets are less expressive than others, you can bring their personality to life through the angles you use. A low-angle shot (where the camera looks up at your pet) can make your pet look angry, authoritative or sassy, while a high-angle shot (where the camera looks down on your pet) will make them look cute or sad. Experiment with different angles to help you find the best way to photograph your pet.
Think about how to display the photos
Now that you’ve got all these tips for photographing pets and have taken some amazing photos, consider what you actually want to do with them. While you’ll probably want to share some on social media, you could also display some of these photos in your home.
Using Oliphan’s online photo editor, you could make a photobook of your pet, as well as geting photos of your pets framed or printed onto canvas. Bring beautiful moments of your pets to life with Oliphan.