To achieve Instagram-worthy shots of your furry friend, you might need to put in a bit of extra effort. Here are a couple of great tips to make sure you get the best pet photo possible.
A great place to start is outdoors.
Natural light will give you the best results, especially in the early morning or late evening. Indoors, try capturing your pet next to a window. Turn off the flash – it can startle pets and sometimes gives them an eerie glowy-eye effect.
Eyes are one of the trickiest parts of pet portraiture
If the eyes aren’t in focus, you won’t capture your pet’s personality. Get down to their level and make sure those eyes are sharp. It can be tricky to maintain their interest when you’ve got a camera in their face, so have a few treats or toys on hand for some bribery.
Of course, that works if your pet can sit still long enough for you to glance down at your camera – some will prefer to zoom around like a lunatic.
Use burst mode
If your dog or cat is an active character, use the burst mode on your camera to snap a long series of photos with a rapid shutter speed. That way you have the best potential of getting one decent shot.
It can be frustrating, but it’s worth persevering if you can catch your pet showing off its one-of-a-kind characteristics. Whether that’s your energetic terrier catching a tennis ball, your ravenous Labrador staring at a box of dog biscuits or your cheeky Birman sleeping on the clean washing.
*Includes a direct debit and Southern Cross Health Society member discount, for a one-year-old cat or a one-year-old fox terrier on a PetCare BronzeRibbon plan with 20% co-payment.