We’re a world of pet lovers, and I’m no exception. That’s why I’m always delighted when a client asks me to photograph a pet—in this case, an adorable puppy named Amber. I loaded backgrounds, baskets and a wooden pirate’s chest into the car, along with lights, light stands, my camera and all sorts of other gadgets and props, and set everything up when I arrived at my client’s home. Soft surfaces work best for pets. I don’t want them to slip or be uncomfortable, so the posing table this time was a couch (hidden by my black background drape). I’m also armed with a bag full of squeak toys and my arsenal of animal sounds because the puppy should be looking alert and into the camera as much as possible. You never know what’s going to work and for how long because each pet is different. This was one bouncy, active puppy. In the end, though, we got enough cute photos to make a multi-picture wall hanging. Which one is your favorite?
Photographing Pets
Categories: Animals, Pets, Photography, Stock Photography
Tags: animals, dogs, pets, photography, photos, portraits, puppies
29 Comments
29 thoughts on “Photographing Pets”
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I love books
Great photos!
Thank you, baileyboatcat. Do you have a favorite?
Yes Amber was a delight as long as there were treats in front of her face. I like all of the pictures except the one of my hand. What a nice surprise to see these pictures on your site.
Hi Amber’s mom
Yep, she sure did like those treats, but my animal imitations worked pretty well, too
Best of all, we had fun taking the photos
Great photos. Pet have got to be hard to photo, what with keeping their attention for as long as it takes to snap the photo. I love the one in the pirate’s chest. What a cute puppy!
Thanks, Angeline. Oh, yes, attention does wander. That’s why I have an arsenal of sounds, squeaky things, and visual distractions to get that attention back to the camera. In general, dogs are more sound oriented and cats are more visual. It’s best to work fast b/c once an animal figures out what you’re doing and gets used to you, they get bored and won’t look. Amber’s mom likes the pirate’s chest best, too
Hands down, bookworm puppy is my favourite.
Adorable puppy and nice photo shoot.
I’ve got to admit, I might be leaning in that direction, too. Her mom tried to get her to “wear” the glasses for a shot, but she wasn’t having it. She is adorable in the photos, no doubt, but if you pick her up for a cuddle, she becomes doubly adorable.
Bookworm Puppy for me!
I couldn’t believe it when she started chewing on the glasses. It made her look extra bookish
Cute overload! That must have been hard work as we know how wiggle and squiggly they can be. We like the basket case
Oh, yes, photographing pets does keep me hopping (I consider it my weight-maintenance method), and puppies are especially wiggly, as you mentioned. Basket Case is a great title for that shot
How adorable! The first one is my favorite because number one I love books, number two – those eyes!
“The eyes have it” in portrait photos, don’t they. We really are attracted to another being’s eyes. And how could a book lover not pick this one
Thanks so much for weighing in.
she’s gorgeous – my favourite is the pirates chest!
She really is a treasure
Gotcha Jennifer http://crazytraintotinkytown.com/2012/11/12/the-road-to-success-is-always-under-construction/
Yikes, you did it again, and believe it or not, I am super grateful for a second time. I really have to stop being such a slug and start reciprocating. Please tell the world to slow down and give me more hours in the day
Take your time because you have a lot going on – awards are supposed to be fun but I wanted to surprise you all and let you know how much I enjoy the banter and reading your posts
BookWorm Puppy ! who could resist one like that
You must be the puppy whisperer
Thank you. I’d be honored to be the puppy whisperer
But don’t let the tranquil look fool you. Sitting still was not something she was happily doing. But she sure loved all the attention.
Like just about everyone, I like the bookworm puppy best. Nice work!
Thanks so much. She looks so studious, doesn’t she
I’m going to go out on a limb and bag puppy in a treasure chest as my favourite, Jennifer. But they’re all gorgeous pictures!
Even though I’m horribly late, Kate…thank you. Puppy’s owner agrees with you
These are wonderful!
Thank you, Tina. She’s grown quite a bit since I took these shots, but she’s still as adorable (just with a more adult bark).
Really great photos
my favorite is the bookworm 
and the treasure of course. So cute.
My old browser here (which I can’t update) doesn’t allow me to “like” ..otherwise I’d of course done so
Greetings from Germany,
Ocean
Thank you, Ocean. And really appreciate the “like” in word form. The two you picked as favorites really melt my heart, too.
Greetings back, from Hawaii.