Tips from a Pro Pet PhotographerIf you're anything like me, you probably have hundreds of photos of Fido or Felix on your phone, perhaps even uploading to their own Instagram account. Maybe you took it once step further and just bought a fancy new camera (congratulations!). A picture may be worth a thousand words, but many of us would like to improve ours without a thousand hours of study! Therefore I've compiled a quick, and easily to execute series of tips you can read right to improve your photo-taking skills immediately. Feel free to bookmark this page for easy reference, and let's dive in. TIMING IS EVERYTHING A well-exercised pet is often the most easiest to work with, so keep this in mind when planning photos. Avoid asking much of your dog on a very hot, sunny, or windy day. Dogs often do better than us in the winter months compared to the summer, and snow is a beautiful, although challenging shooting situation. Be aware of the special needs of your individual pet: flat-faced (Brachycephalic) dogs need special consideration in the heat, short, single-coated dogs need consideration in the cold. Certain pets, like guinea pigs, do well in only specific climate conditions. Quick Tip: Keep your finger on the shutter so you're ready, "you snooze you lose" rings true when photographing moving creatures!  Many dogs do great in cold weather. LET THERE BE LIGHT If there is only one takeaway here, it's Learn your Light! Lighting is one of the single most important aspects of capturing a great photo, and it's something that cannot be easily changed via editing. A window with indirect soft daylight, or sunlight filtered similarly through sheers, makes for some ideal lighting when indoors. Bonus; make sure you can see "catchlights" (those little white reflections in the eyes) before clicking that shutter, and your pet's eyes will sparkle with life. Outdoors, aim for soft evening light when the sun is more filtered and even, for a dreamier look which avoids both overly bright spots and shadows on your pet. "Golden Hour" is the lighting just prior to sunset, which can be ideal for this, as well as give a pretty golden halo effect around your pet with the right placement. Have fun experimenting with your pet's position to the sun - golden hour is great for many angles! A slightly overcast day can be very forgiving as well. With a dark coloured dog, have some light on their face. This will better show the details in their fur and facial features, and of course get those beautiful catchlights in the eyes. Quick Tip: When using a digital camera, you can select Matrix/Evaluative Metering mode so that the camera will try to prioritize the correct exposure for you automatically.  Have a dark dog positioned towards the light. SET THE SCENE Something to be aware of is your scenery around the animal. Indoors, you may not notice clutter in the background until the photo has already been taken. Try to clear an area or just slightly change the angle you're shooting at. Outdoors, posts and tree branches are common offenders, as they can look as if they're sprouting out of your pet's body in the final result. Small areas such as littered garbage or someone's shoe can be edited out on free phone apps or software. While we're on the topic, be aware of other animals in the vicinity of yours. Safety is the #1 priority over the perfect shot. Besides which, some pets are nervous around potential threats of any kind, be it other people or animals around, or even certain weather conditions. It pays to do some hunting for the right spot before you pick up the camera! Quick Tip: Setting your camera or phone to Portrait Mode, or a wide aperture like f2.8, can blur the background, effectively getting rid of some of these distractions in camera.  Be aware of your surroundings when photographing your subject. ON YOUR MARK, GET SET.. Getting down to your pet's level is still one of the best ways to get a great result. Not only will the animal look properly proportioned, but it makes the viewer feel like they are part of their world. If you don't have a fancy tilting screen on your camera, fear not, you can always get down on your belly - it's the way I still shoot most of my session images! Quick Tip: If your pet is highly active or tends to come straight towards you, tie them to something stationary, or put them up on something such as a picnic table or log (you may like to have someone within arms-reach for safety).  Get down to your pet's level! STRUT YOUR STUFF Now that we have some of the technical bits out of the way, it's time for getting some of your pet's character to shine (or at least look in the direction of the lens!) Some of the tricks I use:
Quick Tip: Avoid over-use any of these or your clever subject will learn to ignore them. Give your pet a treat, favourite toy, or lots of praise to motivate their great participation for next time!  A happy, carefree animal makes for a great photo subject. I hope you find some of these tips useful! For more, please see my Homepage. Booking Information and General Inquiries, navigate to Contact Page 
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As the title may suggest.. very excited to find out I have received not one, but two Silver badges from the prestigious WPE International Photography Awards. I haven't been at the pet side of this long, and learning the ins and outs on my own has been a completely different animal (no pun intended) than the human photography I began with! Thankful for my clients and anyone who has supported me along the way.
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Branding Session for @happypawsdogcareservices Nature and it's challenges. This organized session day ended up wild and windy, and unseasonably warm. The dogs were distracted with the wind, our hair was everywhere it shouldn't be (like down my throat) and my massive lens was difficult to keep steady. The sun decided to join in on the fun, coming out strong on what was supposed to be an overcast day, and the grassy meadow I love about this location had grown tall and tough. Obstructing most shots, we had to take time to do a little weeding for any new area or angle (I didn't know you could get splinters from yanking out grass, but I now do!) Regardless, we had fun with some beautiful dogs and ended up with a lovely gallery for an amazing local pet business. Teamwork and a little post-processing magic ❣ Also, if you haven't already, please check out @happypawsdogcareservices for your dog or puppy. The facility is in Mono and is truly unique with so many different pet services offered, even fun events. Get out there and try something new with your pup 🐶 Would you love a gallery like this of your own cherished pet?
Contact me for more information and to reserve a spot. "Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, and filling an emptiness we didn't ever know we had." ~Thom Jones I grew up with Golden Retrievers, they were also the breed that introduced me to the dog show world. Such lovely memories of them. They have a sense of humour and love to retrieve ANYTHING (my last would carry one of my husband's shoes to bed with her every night without fail). This golden Molly was so sweet and full of love for her family, surely due to how much love they showed for her. A beautiful session of smiles, here are just a few of the resulting images!    Interested in a session for your own family?
Click here to send me a message.  Maybe it's the country girl in me, but who else would love something like this hanging on their wall? You may be surprised that this farm scene was taken in the lush green midsummer. I love what the post-production editing process can do. As labour-intensive as it can be, results like this are very much worth the time to do and it's part of what I offer! I am a bit sad to let go of summer, it's my favourite season, probably due in part to having the circulation of an ice cube. Though as the trees start their dormancy, our pets seem to come alive with the arrival of cool, fresh air. The backdrop of colour and the dimension crisp leaves add - it's not to be missed! FUN FACT, apprently sheep can recognize up to fifty other sheep just by their faces, and remember ours as well. For booking information, click here to go directly to the contact form.
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AuthorHeather Sansone is an award-winning Fine Art Pet Photographer located in Orangeville, Ontario. Archives
May 2023
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