Here's how to take the perfect pet photo

Pet lovers can take the perfect picture of their furry friends thanks to new advice from photo experts.  

With Britain being a nation of animal lovers millions of us take hundreds of photographs of our beloved pets every year, according to experts from ParrotPrint.com.  But most of the pictures we take are badly composed or lit and in many cases are blurred too.  

But with some simple easy to mater techniques, the experts from ParrotPrint.com believe almost anyone can become an accomplished pet photographer.  Whether it's through help to maintain your pet's attention, or tips to on composition, there are a variety of ways to ensure that photographers can deal with the unpredictable nature of animals. 

A spokesperson from ParrotPrint.com said: 'Everyone who owns a pet knows they are an integral part of the family and deserve to be treated as well as humans when it comes to photography. 'We all know how distracted animals can get, so being well prepared for a photoshoot with them is key to get it done efficiently. 'It isn't necessary to have the highest quality equipment - this advice will show you how to get flawless photos efficiently, mostly just from your phone.'' 

 

How to get the perfect pet photo: 

1. Have treats at hand 

Maintaining a pet's attention can be tricky, especially if they are agitated or distracted. Having treats and toys with you can help to focus attention back onto taking the photo. This also acts as a good reward after they have been hard at work posing. 

 

2. Avoid using flash 

Using natural lighting allows photos to appear less posed and can help to capture pets in their everyday settings. It is best to not use flash on animals as it can cause red-eye in photos and scare them. 

 

3. Use burst or continuous mode for action shots 

With today's advanced technology, most mobile phones are equipped to take different types of photos. To capture your pet in their truest form, use burst or continuous mode to get action shots, and sift through these to find hidden gems. 

 

4. Maintain focus on the animal's face and not the background 

A busy background can make for a distracted image, which is not ideal when the goal is for the pet to be the centre of attention.

Blurring the background, for example by using a phone's portrait mode feature, can get distractions out of the way. Additionally, using a clean background or zooming into your pet's face is a way to maintain camera focus. 

 

5. Use photoshop to edit photos and add more life to them 

Photoshop is a way to add creativity and enhance images, as well as to include fun additions to experiment with design and layout. 

 

6. Experiment with camera lenses 

Some camera lenses allow for closer perspectives of animals, and others are better for wider frames. It is recommended to take photos of a pet from further away as they are less likely to be disturbed, so this is good to keep in mind. 

 

7. Go to the pet's eye level 

Taking photos from above won't capture the true beauty and details of the animal.  Getting down to the pet's eye level will make for a more realistic photo, whilst allowing you to see the world from their perspective. 

 

8. Try to get candid shots as well as posed 

A photo of a pet sitting posed and well-behaved is not an accurate representation of how they usually act.

Instead, capturing them during everyday settings, for example when running, eating, and playing, will make for more realistic photos, which will allow your pet's personality to shine through.