Photographing Your Pet: Every Picture Tells A Story and Captures Memories for a Lifetime!

  

July is all about capturing great photos of our dogs! (Okay, every day is, but there seriously are two July dates devoted just to this!) Happy All American Pet Photo Day! Yes, that's right, July 11th is really a day dedicated to photographing our beloved pets, and July 26 is National Dog Photography Day! Two dates that are barking right up my alley!

As a career photojournalist, I truly believe every picture does indeed tell a story. Every day, our pets bring us so much joy, whether it is that moment a puppy lick’s a child’s face, a therapy dog brings happiness to an ailing or lonely person, a cat chases a butterfly, a horse gallops across a misty field, a bunny nibbles on a piece of hay, or a dog rolls in the first snow of the season, taking a photograph allows us to capture and enjoy that moment, over and over again.

 

Every day can be a day of many special moments to capture our pets on film (or memory card). And, with today being All American Pet Photo Day, it is a perfect time to discuss some of my FiveSibes pet photography tips to help bring out the best shutterbug in you!

 

1. It’s All in the Angle

For some really engaging shots, shoot from your pet’s level. Get down on the floor to capture your dog’s expression while s/he is playing with a toy, or lay on the ground to capture your dog as s/he comes splashing out of the pool or lake. Try tipping the camera lens on an angle or zoom in for some fun, artsy shots.

 

Getting down low and shooting the camera upwards, like here I did with Woflie, getting in cool natural backgrounds such as the sky and clouds, trees, mountains, etc. makes for really cool shots.

 

2. Natural Lighting Portraits

No flash is best. Check your light source and shoot with the flash off, for a softer, more natural tone. For photos taken inside or out, let the natural light cast shadows across your pet for a beautiful mood portrait. When shooting in low light, you will need to steady your camera by using a tripod, or you can support your camera by leaning your arms on the floor, table, etc. Smart phones today also have a great portrait mode you can experiment with that produce some really cool shots.

 

My natural light black & white portrait of Harley published in AmericanPet Magazine, along with my article "Every Picture Tells a Story: Tips on Photographing Your Pet." Harley self-posed on our recliner in front of our bay window. All natural light. Beautiful. And the black and white I believe really added to the intensity of her expression.

Need a flash? Watch out for red and “green” eye! Use a diffuser if you can. There are also some apps and photo programs available to digitally help remove red- and green-eye issues.

 

I love black and white photograph! Now with a variety of digital filters, black and white can take on any hue you like for a specific mood. You can also add fun frames such as a filmstrip, like the above of the pic I took of my Pupsters~Bandit, Chloe, and Wolf!

 

3. Fun Accessories

Don’t be afraid to try out different lenses, filters, and film styles. A fisheye can add so much interest to a photo, while different filters and black-and-white (whether for the camera or digital manipulation via a photo application) can really give the photo a whole different feel.

 

4. Camera, Action!

If your camera or smart phone has an auto sports mode, use it. If not, manually move your camera along with your moving pet, keeping the subject in the viewfinder and then snap the photo. This will give a great freeze-frame shot that really shows the animal in motion.

 

This was an award-winning action shot of my FiveSibes...as you can see, Harley is just entering the left of the frame as they enjoy some fun zoomies! Caught all this with using the sports mode and moving my camera along with them. Can't you almost hear the fun?!

 

5. What’s in Your Background?

Before clicking that shutter button, check the background of your shot.

• Are the curtains hanging evenly?
• Is there a trashcan or a messy table visible?

While there are now digital photography programs and apps available to erase photo clutter, if you can set up a clean scene beforehand, it will save you time and keep the original integrity of the shot.

6. Attention, Please!

To capture your dog’s attention, use a squeaky toy or treat to draw his/her attention. This especially works well for photographing a group of dogs to get them to all look in the same direction. I am asked often how did I get all five of my Siberian Huskies to always pose so nicely. It's all about the treats! That's my secret! And don’t forget to reward them after the photos are taken. They will remember and eagerly post the next time around! I actually took so many photos of my beautiful FiveSibes that they soon assumed the smiling Sibe position as soon as they saw me with my camera!

7. Special Events and Holidays

For weddings, be sure to include the pets! Pose them with their bridal human and the bridal party. Shoot a portrait of the dog wearing a matching bow tie or floral crown. 

 

For birthdays, photograph your dog enjoying a lick of his/her own slice of the ice cream cake, or wearing a birthday bandana with balloons floating in the background. In the autumn, outdoor shots come to life when your dog jumps into a pile of colorful leaves, visits a pumpkin patch, or poses with your human trick-or-treaters in costume! During the Christmas season, add some sparkle to your photographs by having your dog lay under the glistening tree with a gift box, or have your dog pose with colored string lights, wear a big red bow, or snuggled on a fuzzy blanket in a sled out in the sparkling white snow!

 

This is one of my all-time favorite portraits taken of Gibson. 💜 The love of my boy shines through his eyes, his expression. My forever heart dog. Since his birthday was in January, our tree was still up and made for a perfect festive backdrop. And when I say he enjoyed birthdays, he really did! Secretly, I think he knew the ice cream cake was coming!

 

I could talk about photography and pets forever! No matter where or how you are photographing your pet, or weather it is on a traditional camera or on your smart phone's camera, just be creative, be aware, and have fun! Whether we tell the story of our pet’s life as it unfolds, or we imagine a tale wrapped around the image we capture through our lenses, these are all special moments in life that become precious memories to proudly display in a frame, on canvas, in an album, or part of a slideshow for you to relive and enjoy for years to come.

*Updated from published article in 4Knines, September 2017.

For more photography tips, check out my full article in AmericanPet Magazine HERE!

 Thanks for reading!

Dorothy "FiveSibesMom"

 

 

About the Author (That's me!)

Dorothy Wills-Raftery is an award-winning photojournalist and author of EPIC Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy; the FiveSibes™ Tales children’s books: What’s Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy and Getting Healthy With Harley: Learning About Health & Fitness; and Buddy, the Christmas Husky~Based On A True Holiday Miracle books (ArcticHouse Publishing), as well as the FiveSibes.com, an online encyclopedia for the Siberian Husky breed and Canine Epilepsy information, as well as her international award-winning FiveSibes blog, based on the lives of her five Siberian Huskies. She is also a writer for 4Knines. Her work has also appeared in AmericanPet Magazine, Ruff Drafts, The Sled Dogger, and Hudson Valley Paw Print Magazine. Dorothy is the writer and host of her award-winning "The Sibe Vibe” Dog Works Radio show.

Dorothy is an 13-time Dog Writers of America Association “Excellence” nominee, winning the prestigious Maxwell Medallion in 2022 for her FiveSibes blog & #LiveGibStrong Canine Epilepsy Online Resource Library. She also took home the Maxwell Medallion for Excellence in 2019, 2017, and 2016 for her fiction, writing, photography & design.

Dorothy was also awarded The Grey Muzzle Award by The Grey Muzzle Organization for "Excellence in writing/media of the plight of at-risk senior dogs" on her show “The Sibe Vibe” broadcasted on Dog Works Radio and iTunes. Her book EPIC Dog Tales: Heartfelt Stories About Amazing Dogs Living & Loving Life With Canine Epilepsy received the 2018 Independent Press Award for “Excellence” in the Reference Book category and 2017 NYC Big Book Award for “Excellence” in the Animal/Pet book category.

Dorothy was also named “Best Author” in 2015 & 2016 by Hudson Valley Magazine and all four books named “Best in Print” by AmericanPet Magazine.

An official International Purple Day® for Epilepsy Ambassador since 2012 and a volunteer case manager for The Wally Foundation-Canine Epilepsy, Dorothy is the creator of the #FiveSibes #LiveGibStrong K-9 Epilepsy Awareness campaign and partnered with Purple Day® Every Day presented byThe Anita Kaufmann Foundation for #Paws4Purple Project, both inspired by her own epileptic Husky, Gibson. You can follow Dorothy and her FiveSibes on Facebook at FiveSibes: Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews, on Twitter and Instagram (@FiveSibesMom). 

 

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