Elsie at A Beautiful Mess Blog always has great ideas: Here’s her take on Pet Photography:

This next photography article is near and dear to my heart! My pets are some of my very favorite subjects to photograph. Jeremy and I melt over old photos of our pug so I try to take as many as possible of our new dachshund. It’s not always easy to photograph (hyper) animals but here are a few tips that might help… 

1. Use Treats. (Duh, right?) This is the easiest trick in the book! Just grab your pets favorite treat (or toy) and hold it directly above or beside your lens. I took this photo of Dolly today and it took me 20 photos to get one good one because she was jumping around so much… worth it, though! Without the treat I probably wouldn’t have gotten a usable photo. 

2. Use Props. This photo of my mom’s pug, Gigi, was taken on the day we brought her home. I grabbed a salad bowl from my kitchen table and set her in it. Brand new puppies are a little bit more calm I don’t think I could get either of my (older) dogs to sit on a bowl now! Work with what you have a try different props until something works.  

3. Dress Up. Cheesy as it may be, animals in costumes are ADORABLE. I love costumes and the more your pets wear them, the less they will mind them. Here’s an iPhone pic of Dolly stealing my glasses…

4. Use Window Light When taking an indoor photo of your pet be sure to turn OFF your flash and use natural light. We’ve all seen photos of dogs and cats with “devil eyes” which are caused by using an on-camera flash. Turn your flash off for a much nicer image! If you are low on light guide your pet near a window. Position your back to the window with your pet in front of you (facing the window). Most of my favorite indoor photos of my puppies were taken using this method. 

5. Pose With Your Pet When you are in the photo with your pet there will automatically be more personality, even when your face isn’t shown. I think it highlights the family aspect of having a pet. Photos where you are snuggling, playing or sleeping will be treasured memories that you will keep! I hope these tips inspire you to take more photos of your furry friends this week. xo. elsie