How to shoot successful pet portraits this Christmas
How to shoot successful pet portraits this Christmas
Discover how to take gorgeous photos of your pets this Christmas with these simple tips, tricks and camera techniques.
Pets can be so wonderfully cute – many of us will often find ourselves reaching for the camera to capture their crazy antics, funny expressions and quirky habits. But Christmas is the perfect time to try to capture a portrait of your favourite pet. A picture of your cat, dog or hamster posing in festive gear would make a fun image for a home-printed card, or could be framed to create a bespoke gift.
The challenge is that most animals are completely uninterested in having their photo taken. In fact, some creatures will do everything within their power to frustrate and outwit you. So, you’ll need a few tricks up your sleeve to grab their attention. A combination of camera skills, posing tricks and a pocketful of treats should give you the edge in this battle of wills.
1. Style the scene
A Christmas tree makes a bold, bright background for your festive pet photos, especially when thrown out of focus.
Props, hats and scarves can provide a splash of colour, add to the character of the shot and – in this case – give the photo a fun, festive feel.
A Christmas tree makes for an attractive backdrop for your Christmas pet portraits. It gives you both bold colours and bright highlights. Props such as Santa hats and scarves can look great too, as long as your pet is amenable to wearing them. Ideally choose a room with large windows for your shoot. Natural light is ideal for pet portraiture as it’s soft and gently fills in the shadows, while using a flash may spook your animal. Position your pet facing the window, with the Christmas tree and lights behind them.
2. Pose your pet
It helps to have an assistant who can hold a toy or stand behind you to attract the animal’s gaze while you shoot.
Bring a favourite toy, food bowl or anything else that is likely to attract the animal’s attention. Gently tapping the bowl on the top of the lens worked for us here.
Dogs tend to be a bit easier to pose than cats, as it doesn’t take as much to get them interested. A quick whistle, a cry of ‘where’s the cat’ or any funny noise will usually get their attention. All animals have their own individual characters, but it’s fair to say that cats are usually less eager to please. Patience is key, and you may need to wait a while for the cat to relax. Try getting them settled in one position, such as a comfy chair or a stool (you could even bring their pet bed). Keep a favourite toy or food bowl to hand, and gently tap it above the lens to grab the cat’s attention. If they won’t do what you want then be prepared to change your approach – after all, if being aloof is part of their character then why not capture this in the photograph?
It helps if you can get your pet settled in one position. If they’re not willing to co-operate, adapt your plans to suit their mood.
3. Set your exposure
If you think your pet will stay fairly still, a shutter speed of about 1/200 second is ideal. We also recommend selecting a wide aperture and setting ISO to Auto.
High speed continuous shooting means you can fire off several quick frames at once – seven frames per second with the EOS 850D – which improves your chances of capturing those adorable but fleeting pet expressions.
Choose an exposure setting that you can set and forget, as it will free you to concentrate on the posing and framing. The simplest way to do this is to set your camera to manual exposure mode (M).
Your shutter speed needs to stay fast enough to capture the action. Around 1/200 sec is ideal if the animals are fairly still, but you’ll need to go faster if they’re moving around a lot. We also recommend a wide aperture (f/5.6 here), as this will separate the subject from the background and create lovely bokeh.
Setting ISO to Auto means it will adapt to the conditions – in a bright room with plenty of window light, the ISO should hover around 800-1600. At these ranges, a camera that performs well in low light, such as the Canon EOS 850D, will allow you to capture relatively noise-free shots. If – like the Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM we’re using here – your lens has stabilisation, then it’s best to switch this on too.