Our custom products require customers to either upload or email their pet photos to us. As a result we’ve seen lots of cute pets and, unfortunately, lots of terrible photos. Photos that are too small (thumbnail size), out of focus, too dark, too bright, or too grainy. We use Photoshop to try and make corrections, but Photoshop can only do so much. Consequently we thought it would be helpful to present some tips for taking a good pet photo.
Brenneke Poodle Posse
Anyone who has ever tried to get their pet to pose nicely knows it is not the easiest thing to accomplish. That is, unless you’re a professional, or Joan Brenneke who runs the Killarney (Dog) Obedience School. Joan is also the owner of “The Irish Boys,” a troupe of poodle entertainers from South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
Joan and her daughter Laurie, are valued customers of 1 Cute Pooch, and we always get a kick out of their photos. Check out their poodle posse, all owned by the Brenneke family.
However, if you’re like us, getting one dog (let alone a group) to stay still and pose can be a task. So, we went to a professional for some tips. Kimberly Saxelby, of True Emotions Photography in Upland, California, is an experienced pet photographer, who took all the wonderful pet portraits for the 2010 calendar for HOPE (Helping Out Pets Everyday), a local rescue group.
We asked her to provide some photo taking tips and she was kind enough to oblige.
“Stay still so I can take your picture!”
Does your dog become a hyperactive maniac as soon as the camera comes out? Kimberly suggests taking your dog out for a walk or a run, or play fetch for a while before a photo session. This will tire your pet out, and then they’ll be more relaxed. It’s easier to take your pet’s photo when they’re not running around, or jumping up on whoever is holding the camera.
“Look at the camera!”
Does it seem like every photo you take has your pet looking sideways, or anywhere else but at the camera? Is it a challenge to even get your dog’s face in the picture? Getting Fido to look at the camera isn’t easy, but you can direct you dog’s attention with the cunning use of your pet’s favorite treat or squeaky toy.
If your dog is like ours, once you break out a treat, your dog’s eyes are locked onto it like a laser. Every dog owner has seen that look. The head swivels in whichever direction you wave the treat. Use this focus to your advantage.
When their attention is directed towards the treat, bring it closer to your face, and that way, they’ll be looking at the camera when you snap the photo. You could also try putting the treat on your head, or if you’re brave, you could try putting the treat in your mouth. If you’re lucky enough to have a helper, have them slowly bring the treat closer to the camera for you. Either way, the dog will be staring directly at the treat, and as a consequence, pretty much straight down the lens of your camera. Give your pet the treat as a reward once you’ve snapped a photo you like.
You can also use a squeaky toy to achieve the same results. Most dogs will focus their attention when you squeak a toy, especially if it’s your dog’s favorite. Again, you should slowly move the toy closer to the camera. If they get distracted, one sharp squeak should grab their attention.
As an alternative to treats or a toy, you can also use certain words or phrases that your pet responds to. For example, “cookie,” “treat” or “want to go for a walk?” works for many dogs. Even, “Let’s go!” This will make your dog look at you, and you may even get a little tilt of the head that makes the picture that much cuter.
When she’s taking pictures of a pet, Kimberly often makes many funny noises to get the desired response from the dog. This could mean whimpering like a dog, or panting, or whistling.
If you’re taking a head shot of your pet for our pet ID tags, we recommend kneeling or crouching down to the level of your pet so you get a eye-level shot.
For a more candid or natural photo, get your pet to lie down, and give them a bone or toy to chew or play with. You could also wait until they’re roaming in the backyard or at the dog park and capture them when they’re playing. For a comical but cute photo, you could stand above your pet and photograph them as they look up at you.
Avoiding the dreaded red eyes
According to Kimberly, the best way to prevent red eye is to avoid using a flash in the first place. Try to take the pictures outdoors or by using the natural light from a window. If you have to use a flash, try placing a white piece of plastic or paper in front of the flash so that it diverts the light upwards and away from your pet’s eyes. However, if you do end up with red eyes, it’s a fixable problem using photo software like Photoshop. As a courtesy to our customers, we correct red eyes (or yellow or white eyes) on dog photos.
Camera settings
Kimberly advises that the best setting on most cameras is “P” for program. Your camera will do the rest. Some digital cameras have the option to change the resolution (the size) of the photos. The higher the resolution, the better.
Size matters
The bigger the size of the photo you send to us, the better the photo looks on our custom items. What does this mean? Often we receive photos that are too small to work with. Generally these are the size of thumbnails (less then 100 pixels in length or width).
The simplest way to cure this problem is to ensure that your digital camera is set to the highest resolution possible when you take the photo. For example, your camera may have a quality setting that allows you to set to “High JPEG”. Your camera manual should have instructions on how to set the resolution. The higher the resolution of the photo, the more detail contained in the photo. Yes, this can mean a very large file size! Higher resolution photo sizes can easily exceed 1 MB. That’s a good thing because your pet will be clearly visible on the custom item. Large files are especially important for the bigger custom items such as the garden flag.
If you send the bigger file (which will take a little while to send via e-mail or upload to our web site), we can then resize the image in Photoshop if needed.
In some cases however, the digital camera may have limitations on the size of the photo. If the file size of the photo is under 500KBs then it’s too small to use for a large custom item.
- To check the size of the file on the MAC, click File → Get Info.
- To check the size of the file on the PC, right click on the photo. Select Properties.
Conclusion
Digital cameras allow you to try out different things and take multiple shots since you can easily erase any pictures you don’t like. We hope that by following these simple tips, you’ll be able to take photos of your pet like a professional.
