Top Pet Photographers share their secrets!

At PAWtraits of Pets and People, we believe that nothing make a pet photo more beautiful showing the bond between animal and owner. We love capturing the essence of your pet’s personality in our photographs, we also want you to be able to capture those surprising moments that you enjoy and love about your pet.

Capturing that bond can be difficult to show. Involve the kids, your partner the grandkids – they will love this activity! Have them play with your pup or snuggle with your kitten and just keep snapping away. Ask your spouse or a friend to take over the camera every once in a while so that you can get in on the action too. Try cropping some of your shots in close every once in a while, just the noses of your baby and pet touching (if safe to do so…..exercise caution with animals, they can be unpredictable) makes for an adorable shot. Or for a fun family memento get all your family’s hands and paws in the centre of a circle, ready for a big cheer.

Bupa chatted with the animal photography experts for Bupa Pet Insurance for their recent article, ‘Top Pet Photographers Share Their Secrets’.

It was great to share some of our top tips and check out what other leading photographers had to offer as well!

We told Bupa, we love to capture your pets as they are, fun and playful, soulful and trusting, your “Best Friend” . If you want your dog to do some amazing trick just for the cameras, ‘Don’t expect your furry friend to play by the rules, it will depend on how much training they’ve had.’ Patience is key here, and you may have to accept that it’s not going to happen. It’s much better to capture your pet looking happy in an environment they’re comfortable in.

Nothing can ruin a photo shoot faster than a cranky toddler and an unruly pooch. Have your ‘models’ run around and play for a while before the shoot to burn off some excess energy. That way they’ll be relaxed and ready to go when it’s time to start snapping. Have treats ready for your pets to keep them happy and cooperative throughout the shoot. We use a variety of sounds to capture their attention…nothing I love more than their full attention as their head tilts one way and then the other to our crazy sound variations!   ‘If your dog is running around, a very fast shutter speed is required to capture the action!’

Taking photos with animals has its challenges, as does human photography, but with patience and practice you’ll capture plenty of great shots for your family album.