How to take the purr-fect pet photo
You know your pet is adorable, but it’s not always easy to capture that cuteness with your camera.
If you’re keen to enter the Southern Cross Pet Insurance Pawsies, our annual awards for the top cat and dog in New Zealand, there’s a few things that it might be helpful to know.
While it’s not all a beauty contest, and the selectors put more weight on the character than how good your pet looks, let’s face it, a good picture always helps!
But as we all know, taking a good photo isn’t always easy. And while our pets are usually a little more photogenic than we are – there are some things you can do to make your pet pics sparkle.
So, if you want to enter the Pawsies, or just want to improve your pet photography skills – read on!
Keep the Focus
Remember, we need to be able to see your pet, not see them playing hide and seek! If your pet is clear and visible in your photo – it's a lot easier for us. It’s also worth noting that we have to disqualify any photos with identifiable human beings, so keep your pet the star of the show!
Keep them well lit
Black cats aren’t bad luck – but they can make for bad photography! If your pet is a darker colour – try to capture them in a well-lit space (outside is ideal).
The camera does help
If a picture says a thousand words, a high-resolution photo must say two thousand. Using a high quality camera helps – so if your smart phone is a bit of clunker – it might be worth borrowing something a little more capable to capture your pics.
No screenshots
Just photos please! Last year we saw a few entries directly screenshotted from phones.
Showcase their personality
And last but most importantly make sure the photo you take showcases your pet’s unique personality! If your cat loves sitting on your laptop, or if your Great Dane thinks it’s a lap dog – make sure your photo captures it! First and foremost, we want to know why your pet is special.
