Taking pictures of your puppy as he is growing up is nothing out of the ordinary for any pet owner. But do you also sometimes wish that you could have picture-perfect poses with your dog? It is possible to have pictures other than those of your sleeping pup or pictures that are out of focus. Get your puppy to sit on cue, and you’d be surprised how good the pictures can look.
1. Sit
Even the most energetic dog can be photographed if he has mastered the art of sitting on cue. First, get everything organised – find the ideal background, check the settings on your camera, have treats on hand – and only when you’re ready, call your dog. Ask him to sit. If he lifts his bum off the ground, just ask him to sit again. Quickly take a few photographs before he gets bored.
2. Eye contact
Start from an early age to make eye contact with your dog, so that it doesn’t feel strange to him. Keep in mind that a camera lens can look like a huge eye to him. He might be more used to your phone, so taking pictures with your phone could be easier.
Ask your dog to make eye contact with you, and keep eye contact. You can teach him to do this on cue – make eye contact with your dog, then treat him when he looks at you and keeps eye contact. You can then link this behaviour to a cue – like ‘watch me’. When he is good at keeping eye contact, let him get used to the camera by keeping it close by. Call him to you when you’re done and give him lots of praise for getting it right.
3. Lighting
Lighting is extremely important for any good-quality picture. Don’t take pictures in direct sunlight. This creates harsh shadows on your dog that you don’t want. Rather move him to a shaded spot where the light will be good enough for a good picture, without as many shadows.
Also, don’t use a flash for your photographs. The flash may harm your dog’s eyes and he will be less likely to keep on looking at the camera.
Rather invest in a social media kit – you might have seen one in the shops. It’s a circle of light that is fixed to a tripod. The price of these kits varies according to the quality, but there are reasonably priced ones that will do a great job.
Set up the light beforehand. You’ll notice that the features of your dog will be much clearer and there will be far fewer shadows.
4. Background
The background of your picture can make or break the mood that you want to create. If you want studio-type pictures, then get a plain backdrop. Nowadays, online shops offer these at very reasonable prices.
Alternatively, opt for a background that is not too busy. Or you can get the background of your picture slightly out of focus by using a longer lens on your camera, using a filter on your phone, or editing the picture afterwards so that the background is not clear.
With so many options on mobile phones these days, anyone can take a fabulous picture of their pet.
5. Selfies
The days of selfies are far from over. Instead, selfies have become so popular that it would be weird if you didn’t have at least one selfie of you and your dog. You can fall back on the sit cue to get your dog to sit still for a picture. Make the experience exciting, yet calm. If you get excited, your dog will feel your energy and also get excited. And that might just ruin your picture.
6. When to stop
Just like a person, your dog might not be in the mood for a photo shoot. He might be too tired, hungry or bored to pose for you. If that’s the case, you need to end the photo shoot, and respect your dog’s wishes. Don’t force him to pose for pictures when he doesn’t feel like it. You can always try again tomorrow. At least you will still have some happy memories of quality time spent together.
