How to Take a Good Picture of your Dog

Aaah, puppies. So cute, so fun, and so…squirmy! Having trouble snapping the golden shot for entry into Petmania Puppy of the Year 2021? We’ve put together a simple guide on how to get the paw-fect photo of your pup!

1. Lighting

Always try and use natural light where possible, such as outdoors or beside a window during the daytime. That natural light will come out best in any photos you take of your doggie rather than artificial lighting, so try snap a shot on your walks in the park or during a mid-day snooze. If you do decide to use artificial lighting, make sure your dog is lit from all sides so we can see his beautiful face! You don’t want to submit a photo where we can only see half of him, so ensure the lighting is coming at him from all angles.

2. Positioning

Make sure to centre your dog in frame; he is the focal point of your shot. Of course, puppies being puppies, that might not always be as easy as it sounds! Their high energy levels and constant curiosity in the world around them might make this task more difficult than need be. To keep him still why not give him his favourite toy or a tasty treat to chew on? You could also grab a partner to use a squeak toy behind the camera to distract your dog for a few seconds as you snap the paw-fect shot. Be quick though, puppies don’t stay still for long!

3. Attention

As we mentioned above, puppies don’t like to stay still for very long, so try grab their attention through a squeak toy or a tasty treat to get them to look at the camera. If your puppy has good recall, call his name to get him to look at you. This is also a great way to get them used to obeying commands.

4. Focus

Use your phone camera where possible-no need to stage a big, fancy photoshoot with professional cameras or anything like that! Your phone camera will be able to capture all your puppy’s cuteness in a simple tap. Make sure your camera is focused on your puppy by simply tapping the screen-the last thing you want is an out-of-focus image of your beautiful dog!