Pet Photography Tips And Tricks: Getting Your Animal Ready

Your pet is part of your family and it is natural to want to treat them as such. A photo is a lasting memory. But it can be difficult and even stressful to try and capture the perfect moment. This is where hiring a pet photographer comes into play. A pet photographer knows how to take the best photos of your animal family and will ease the stress of doing it yourself. Here are some tips to help you get ready for the big day. 

Grooming and Bathing

Getting your animal cleaned and primped for the big day, but try to not schedule both the groomer and the photographer on the same day. For a lot of pets, bathing and getting groomed can make them tired. You want your pet to be alert and awake for pictures. If your animal is a shaggy type animal or has longer hair around the face, make sure that the hair is groomed around the eyes. This can be especially true for dogs and horses. 

Eating and Drinking

A great thing to remember is that a lot of animals will perform for tricks. This is helpful for photography because when they sit or prance or stay, they will get a treat and want to do it again. Because of this, it is important to not feed your animal too much or at all before a shoot. You can, of course, give them water, but make sure to walk them before a photo session. The walking will also help to cure them of any pent up energy they may have. 

Cats

We all know that cats will rarely do as they are told. Hardly any cats will perform for treats as well. The key is to be patient. You do not have to rush during a shoot when dealing with cats. Also, all animals can pick up on stress. Getting stressed with your cat will not be helpful if they are not doing what you want. They also love to hide. When doing a photo session, the best advice is to use a confined area and block off any hiding places. Cats will decide how you work with them. The great thing about cats is that when they do sit, and do look at the camera, they are steady and will look at the camera longer. This gives the photographer a greater opportunity to get a better photo. 

Easing Anxiety

The key to great photography with pets is to keep the anxiety low. If a dog or another animal goes crazy for a certain toy or treat, those treats are not the way to try and get them to sit still. For instance, if you have a dog and their favorite thing is to have a ball, don’t bring that ball to try and coax the dog to sit. It will only make him anxious about wanting it. This will make the photo session full of your puppy drooling and looking worried. 

Animals are great to get pictures of. Make sure you get a photographer who will capture the life of your family. It takes patience and time to get a great shot.