Create Lovable Pet Portraits by Using
These TOP PET PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

September's Winning Pick-of-the-Litter Sadie belongs to Dallis Richardson of California Sadie is catching some rays in this "looks easier than it is" pet portrait. The challenge with photos taken in direct sunlight is to not blow out the highlights. In this case, Dallis must have done her homework. Super job, Dallis! We're looking for October's winning pet portrait, so submit your pooch's picture right here!

Share this month's winner with the world and we can all help make them famous!

Photographically speaking, dog pictures are a completely different animal (sorry, couldn't resist).

At least with other poses, your subjects will listen to you because they understand you (infants and toddlers excepted).

For Pet Portraits, we need to employ a somewhat different strategy. For the balance of this page, we will use dogs as the example pet.

For photography involving humans and NOT PETS, the key points for taking a portrait are:

1. Have a pose in mind for the picture

2. Pick out the location

3. Gather everyone who will be in the portrait

4. Pose the subjects

5. Move to your designated shooting position (if a tripod is required, the camera has already been mounted on it)

6. Verbally prepare the group (position everyone to verify they can each be seen, adjust the composition, and employ some "anti-blinking" strategy such as a "3-2-1" warning)

7. Take the priceless family portrait

Interested in having your dog have their own web page?

Dog Pet Photography

(Cat Lovers - click here)

On the other hand, the key points for taking pictures of pets is:

1. Determine if you would like to take the doggy pictures indoors or outdoors

2. Prepare appropriate camera equipment based on results of #1

3. Collect a handful of Fido's toys; accessory items (such as dog clothes, beads, hat, or any other items likely to make your dog the embarrassed laughing stock of the neighborhood); and of course, plenty of doggy treats

4. Catch the dog

5. Coax or bring Fido to the shooting location

6. If your faithful companion will stand for it, have them "stay" in a position of your choice with or without whatever the chosen accessory items you have brought

7. Move to the best spot and take the shot

8. If however, your dog is a runner, let him/her run around (within a confined area such as a dog park)

9. Set your camera's shutter speed as fast as the lighting conditions allow (1/1000th of a second is just perfect) and pan the camera while focusing on your dog.

   This type of shot is more difficult to capture successfully. However, if you do manage to catch your pooch in a full sprint with ears and fur forced back by the air, you will appreciate that pet portrait for years.

   As an added bonus, this type of activity will tire Fido out, probably causing them to sit or lie down for a nice chunk of time.

   This is your opportunity to position yourself any way you want and capture different types of pet portraits, using angles and perspectives not possible while your dog is full of energy.

10. AFTER your dog is exhausted, try placing a few props, toys, clothes, etc. around them. In my experience, when the pooch is tired, they'll put up with almost anything!

11. Really take advantage of your tired pooch by shooting pictures at every eye level, both at close and far distances. You should be able to capture a bonanza of terrific pet pictures

Wait (there's that PATIENCE word, again) for the dog to strike a memorable pose, and then snap the picture. If nothing is happening, move to a different position. The dog will react, and then it's back to waiting.

If you haven't guessed by now, pet portraits involve a lot of patience and luck. Often, you need both!

For a close-up shot like this, if you're not sure how the animal will react, use your telephoto setting from a safe 6 foot distance. Often the best "pet portraits" are done from 50 feet away.

If there's no concerns, you can move in closer, trying other settings. And if you have a high enough resolution camera, you can still obtain a quality print after cropping.

Notice the light and shadow on the dog's face. In typical family portraits, shadows and light on subjects' faces should generally be avoided (unless attempting a special effect).

However, notice the result here -- much more unique than if the pet portraits were done in all shadow or all light.

As far as pet tips on pictures go, this one's a big one, although it doesn't sound like that big a deal...

Don't be afraid to experiment, especially when you don't have that much experience. Remember, what's the worst thing that could happen with a bunch of disappointing pictures taken with a digital camera? Right... that redeeming "Delete" button.

And for extreme close ups, notice the effects you get. On this dog, there's almost a mystical "windows to the soul" quality to this classic pose.

Compare the levels of cropping between this pet portrait and the one above. Consider what the shot would look like if ONLY the eyes were showing.

The point is to EXPERIMENT... use your creative vision; try some things that you have absolutely no idea how they will turn out. What's the very worst that will happen? Deleted images! Big deal.

When you look at this pose, where are your eyes drawn... to the boy or the dog? This picture is a good example of taking something that's not working and turning it into a good photograph.

I had been working on different pet portraits all afternoon with this lovable pooch. I took plenty of pictures, but none of them "was a home run" (in my opinion). So, I gave up attempting to do any posing and simply observed the dog interacting with others.

This shot was the result. Sometimes the best pet portraits are actually candids that you had the patience to wait for.

Having made friends with her, she had no problem being coaxed over to a luscious green section of lawn, where I placed a toy football down to create the perfect setting for shooting off some pet portraits.

With dogs who are very comfortable with you (like your own), often the best "portraits" result from the dog being all tired out rather than really frisky.

Place a toy down near a dog with boundless energy and they'll begin to toss it all over (which, if you are working with a fast enough shutter speed such as 1/1000, you can get some great pet portraits if you work at it).

The lazy man's approach is to first tire Fido out, then you can just about dress them in a Wonder Woman outfit, and they'll be too tired to shake it off. THAT would be a priceless pet portrait!

Same dog, same toy, same grass. But as you can see, the pet poses (this and the one above) are totally different. Once you realize that your subject is very photogenic AND the background is perfect (the grass is acting as a textured backdrop) AND the outside lighting is exactly right; what do you do?

You stay and keep shooting terrific pet portraits; then take some more pet portraits, and finally wrap up with... you guessed it, just a few more pet portraits.

And, please don't run out of charged batteries or memory!!!

Another benefit of this pose is it's perfect to play around with depth of field results. Put your digital camera's control setting on "aperture priority" and focus on the football with one picture using an F-stop of 5.6 and the next one using an F-stop of 22. Then compare the two. Then take two more pet portraits using the same F-stops, but this time, focus on Brandy's face.

There are so many potential themes, or possible groupings that could be created, that we could spend the next week just listing the first 100.

Therefore, let's look at this collage, which displays a "combo-platter" of several different styles.

If you like the photo collage approach, here are a few themes to get you started:

• Sleeping

• Playing Outside

• With Family Members

• Dressed Up

• With Favorite Toys

Let's face it... if you're reading this, you probably love dogs. And of course, you just know yours is the cutest dog around, right?

To make everyone else jealous, simply use the form below to upload your favorite dog picture and be sure to tell us the "story" that goes with it. Who knows, your pooch may even become featured on this page!

NOTE: Your dog's picture needs to have a suitable description to be accepted. For any questions, see the "Help notes" below.

Click below to see cute pooches from around the globe...

Jake 
Jake is a mixed breed dog of mostly boxer, lab and pit bull. He's extremely hyper, so it took some patience and timing to get this shot. He's a ham too....

Dexter 
My rambunctious boxer puppy, Dex, is 13 weeks old here. I had been trying for weeks to get a good picture of him, but I finally found him sleeping, so ...

At Mommy's Side 
Angelle enjoys taking long walks in the park. She especially likes birds, ducks, and children.
Want to make a Social Bookmark?

We ...

All Tired Out! 
Took a picture of a dog at my local park who looked "All Tired Out".
Want to make a Social Bookmark?

We have found a site that provides ...

Star Outfielder 
I was taking pictures of the kids in my community playing in the common oval when I noticed one of my neighbors tossing a ball for her dog.

I switched ...

Temporary Bewilderment 
I was standing by my neighbor's fence and his dog was barking, growling,and acting tough. I leaned over the cider block fence and used my telephoto lens ...

My Greater Swiss Mountain Dog 
My Greater Swiss Mountain dog "Bruschi" is often the subject of my pictures. I was able to catch him at just the right time in this picture. Although its ...

VITO 
MY 12 YEAR OLD GRAND DAUGHTER, KEIRSTEN, TOOK THIS PHOTO OF MY RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK, VITO.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 
Everyone thought I was crazy giving my pooch a birthday party, but she loved it. We invited her doggie friends and human friends. It was so fun. And, I ...

I Hate Boots 
Getting winter baby boots for our dog seemed like a "brilliant idea" at the time. My boyfriend and I had gotten tired of cleaning off the snow from her ...

Sensational Sammy 
I've taken so many dog pictures after positioning my dog and trying to get them to pose as I want, that I forgot how many super shots there were just as ...

Mongo Likes Sun 
My brother came to visit me and brought his mix breed dog, Mongo, with him.
Mongo was resting after playing fetch outside and I noticed the way the light ...

Shynuk 
She is getting old and loves to sleep on the deck at the cottage.

Home at Last! 
This is my 7 week old yorkie, TobyJo.

He already has developed his own little personality.
He's cute and he knows it.
Want to make a Social Bookmark ...

Happy Honey  
While playing with my dog Honey, I called her in hopes of getting a good photograph. She just started staring at me, so I quickly took a photo of her and ...

Christmas Dinner 
Our Spaniel had a lovely Christmas dinner and just as he had finished and was lying down to relax, I tried to get him to pose. So, what did he do? Lick ...

Tripod gives the eye 
A friend asked if I could take a couple of pictures of her son's dog. She was so excited with this one she decided to save it for Christmas.

Old Zeek 
We have lived with Zeek for a many years now but he has slowed down from his previously youthful exuberance. His black eyes still seem to pierce into ...

Bubba my "old man boxer"  Not rated yet
Bubba is my Boxer that I have had for 9 years now, this photo was taken in 2006 but I really love this picture because he looks so proud to be at the barn ...

Ace the Boxer  Not rated yet
Ace is my Boxer, he is pouting because no one will take a moment to throw his toy. Ace will lay down and give us his big browns until he gets what he wants!...

Oh no you didn't!  Not rated yet
My little yorkie, Toby Jo giving "dad" some chin music. He & my husband were playing and I just happened to have my camera handy & caught this silly shot....

Whatcha doin Mom?  Not rated yet
My year old Alaskan Malamute "Meeka" was in her favorite spot on the couch (which is perfectly positioned so she can look out the sliding glass doors) propped ...

Outta Here  Not rated yet
I was playing around with some pics & learned how to do this. Kinda cool. This is my little yorkie, Toby out in the yard.

Who Me?  Not rated yet
My sister and I were trying to train her puppy to come but she was having a mind of her own. She just decided to stop and watch us rather than coming when ...

Dog Sunning  Not rated yet
Shiro is white but for some reason gets a tan coloring on the tips of his ears during the summer...we always laugh and say he's tanning.

Missy's New Playmate  Not rated yet
Missy is an 8 year old Silky Terrier and still loves to play as much today as she did as a puppy. Her playmate Dennis went blind about a year ago and ...

Proud German Shepherd  Not rated yet
My husband and I had just planted our first garden the evening before this picture was taken. We had carefully transfered our baby tomato plants outdoors ...

Taking Flight  Not rated yet
This is my favorite picture of my 5 year old male yellow lab Skye. I call it Skye's Dumbo Pose.
I had been trying to take a good picture of him for what ...

Our Ray of Sunshine  Not rated yet
Sadie loves to lie in the sun at the top of the stairs. On this particular day, she provided a perfect pose, which is rare...she doesn't like having her ...

Snow bug  Not rated yet
This is the second time my black lab, Mikiah, has seen snow. She's three years old and she's just a big baby. We were out playing in the snow rolling around,...

The Gang  Not rated yet
I decided on this pose one day while in my backyard. These were all the dogs we used to have at one time, a few years ago. I wanted a portrait of our pets,...

There's nothing like getting caught with your toungue out!  Not rated yet
This is Daisy, she is a Yorkshire terrier and this picture was taken when she was only 5 months old. She had just stuck her nose into my glass of Dr. Pepper ...

Sweet Pug  Not rated yet
This is my best friend. Anywhere I go she is soon to follow. Full of love and always eager to please, she will sit for portraits to my hearts content....

Robbie and Rudy  Not rated yet
I was trying to make a Xmas card for the family and the dogs kept jumping up and pulling their hats off!
I wanted to get them looking like Butch Cassidy ...

Tyson Turned 2!  Not rated yet
Tyson is my male boxer who is quite used to modeling for me while I am experimenting with different photography techniques. This picture was taken for ...

The Stare Game!!  Not rated yet
Cherokee is an 8 month old Husky. She loves to stare and chew on hands. Keep your distance!!!
Want to make a Social Bookmark?

Would ...

A little wet behind the ears!  Not rated yet
Sandy was looking rather annoyed at me for bathing him one day, he popped himself up on the edge of the bath...no doubt thinking, "If i can get downstairs,...

Sandy Relaxing  Not rated yet
Sandy having had a hard days running in the park came home and planted himself on our mat in the living room, it must be hard work being a pup!!
Want ...

Dah Contenda  Not rated yet
Walking through Manhattan, I saw this striking Boxer, prancing across the street. I asked the owner if I could shoot him. He was quite the ham.

Want ...

The innocent and the beautiful have no enemies, except time...  Not rated yet
I was out in the garden with my pooches, and Bella was playing with her ball. The grass had just been cut and when she looked up at me, with some grass ...

My Best Friend Grip  Not rated yet
With such a gorgeous personality and a face like that, I had to try to get a photo that showed it all. I had just bought a new camera, and was experimenting ...

Dog in the Basket  Not rated yet
One day while shopping, I came across this dog. It was cuddled up in a basket on the back of a motorcycle. That is where it rode. I asked to take a picture ...

Toby in the snow.  Not rated yet
This picture was taken of our American Eskimo when he was 8 weeks old.

I'm so over this!  Not rated yet
This is Boston the Boxer. Boston's mom was down at my house and we were trying to take a picture of Boston with my Boxer for a Christmas card.

Boston ...

Innocence  Not rated yet
My puppy is so active that it is hard to get a decent picture of her. About the time I snap it, she is already moving.

But she loves her bobo and was ...

Breaking in the Newbies  Not rated yet
Maximilian is investigating the new lambs

His Chocolate Majesty  Not rated yet
Comments - This picture was pure luck. Shortly after buying the s9000, I purchased a 1.5x extender, with hopes of extending the 10x optical zoom on the ...

I'm sorry !  Not rated yet
We own Serpei dogs and sometimes they use their wrinkles to win us humans over. Wrinkles had been reprimanded and was giving me her best "I am sorry" look....

Have a coke bottle and a smile  Not rated yet
This is my sister's dog and he loves to play with this coke bottle, so they let him play with it on the carpet and he just lays there and uses it like ...

Shynuk the model  Not rated yet
I was taking family photos and then she just walked up and sat down for her turn has the model. She was my favorite model for that day.

Since each species has their own unique characteristics & personality, here is a page just on cats. Luci here is very outgoing and not afraid of the flash.

Her brother on the other hand, broke the land speed record following my first attempted pet portrait using a flash, and was not seen again for the rest of the night. (She was spotted the next day wearing dark sunglasses.)

Luci allowed me to move in quite close, and her jet black color did a nice job of absorbing the flash's hot spots.

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