• As pet owners, we consider our animals a part of the family and love portraits of them as much as those of any other family member. Good pet pictures can be difficult to make. Our animal friends don't understand what we're trying to do and won't pose, so we have to shoot many pictures just to get a couple of good ones. Practice with a few pet photography tips to get the pictures you want, and use a digital camera to help eliminate the cost associated with shooting film pictures.
  
  

Prepare the Scene

• Create an uncluttered background in your pet portraits by removing any undesirable objects before you begin taking pictures. Cluttered backgrounds are one of the biggest problems in pet photographs, and removing distracting clutter will help your pet stand out in the picture. A pet collar can attract too much attention in a portrait, so consider removing it while you're taking pictures.
  
  

Turn Off the Flash

• Eliminate red eye by turning off the cameras electronic flash. Take a pet picture using flash, and you'll likely find your pet has unnatural glowing green eyes, which is the animal equivalent of human red eye. Use natural light from windows, or try to take pet pictures outside in early morning or late evening when the light is soft and diffuse.
  
  

Be Patient

• Exercise patience when photographing your pet, and make it fun for both of you. Animals can sense when people are upset, and this will show up in your pictures as an unhappy, tense pet, so relax and when the photo shoot stops being fun save it for another time.
  
  

Be Ready

• Watch for sudden movements and changes in behavior that make a great picture. Animals do their own thing, so keep your camera handy and be ready when they do something unexpected. Take advantage of predictable behavior or a known habit to create an interesting picture, or use a whistle or favorite toy to get your pet to react for the picture.
  
  

Use Toys and Props

• Add interest to your pet pictures by dressing your pet in outfits, hats or sunglasses to bring out your animals character and create mood in the picture. Favorite toys can add interest to the portrait and provide a distraction for your pet while revealing something about it.
  
  

Work at Ground Level

• Get down on your pet's level so that your pictures won't all appear as though you're looking down on the animal. Use a view from the pet's perspective to make a more interesting shot, or use different perspectives to add interest to your pictures such as shooting straight down in the picture while your pet looks up at you.