How To Take The Perfect Photo Of Your Pet...

How can I take the perfect photo of my pet at home?

Is anyone else’s phone filled with endless photos of their cat or dog? We thought so! As pet parents, we cherish the time we spend with our four-legged best friends, so it’s natural that we want to capture every waking (and sleeping!) moment.

However, we know it can be difficult to take the ‘pawfect’ snap, so we’ve enlisted the help of professional pet photographer — and one of the esteemed judges for our #LivingTheHiLife photo competition — Kerry Jordan, to offer some advice.

How to take good pictures of pets

1) You don’t always need a professional camera. Most camera phones now have a portrait mode where the camera is smart enough to pick out what’s closest to it and blur out the background. Some even let you adjust the level of blur, which is pretty amazing.

2) One of the simplest ways to transform your photos is by paying attention to the light. If it’s a really sunny day, it can make the colours look slightly garish and unnatural, which can create harsh shadows on your pet’s face. Try taking photos in the shade of a building, tree, or indoors facing a window — you’ll be able to see the difference.

3) Instead of standing up and taking a photo of your pet from that position, you’re more likely to capture the perfect photo if you get down to your dog or cat’s level and get a ‘pet’s-eye view’.

4) Always remember to keep an eye on the background. Consider moving any potentially distracting items out of the way — for example, a lamp wire or a really bright toy. Keep adjusting your position to see if the background is better from a different angle.

5) Another simple tip is to put the gridlines on in your camera phone settings. This will help with getting straight horizon lines rather than wonky images.

6) The biggest tip, however, is to not get frustrated; if your pet isn’t doing what you want, move on and try something else. Sometimes the best shots come when you least expect it!

You can discover Kerry’s pet photography services over at Fur & Fables.

Make sure you have HiLife treats at the ready to reward your pet with after sitting nicely for a photo. Choose from our best-selling HiLife it’s only natural treats for cats and yummy TREAT ME Training Treats for dogs!

Enter our pet photography competition

This month, we’re running an exciting pet photography competition for our HiLife friends. We’re encouraging pet lovers to contribute snaps of their pets #LivingTheHiLife for a chance to win a bundle of exciting prizes. You can find out more about how to enter and what’s up for grabs here.