Pets are undeniably photogenic, so how do we as humans capture the perfect shot of them? Whether you’re using your mobile phone to take pictures or a camera, we have some top tips for you to take great photos of your pets that you can treasure forever!

Top tips

  1. Try to get your pet to stay still. You can do this by directing their attention to where you want it to be by either making a noise, tempting them with a treat, or perhaps their favourite toy. You could even ask a family member or friend to help you out with this. Teamwork!
  2. Do not use a flash. If you do use a flash there is the risk of red eye, and you may frighten your pet which will cause them to become stressed which is not what you want. Instead, try to make use of any natural light
  3. Make sure that your pets eyes are in focus. It is often said that ‘eyes are the window to the soul’, which applies to animals too. Their eyes are very expressive and so are very central to your image looking great. Perhaps when taking the photo try and get down to the same level as your pet as this is how they see the world. It can add a unique perspective to the shot
  4. Ensure your pet is comfortable. Go to your pet instead of making them come to you
  5. Try to catch your pet when they think you aren’t looking, this way you will capture them in their most natural state
  6. Think about what represents your pet. You want to take a photo that is going to say something about their personality. If you have a lazy pet that enjoys sleeping all the time, then try to capture them napping in one of their favourite spots
  7. Include a family member or yourself in the shot – this way you will be able to capture the unconditional love between a pet and his/her owner. There is an authentic bond and interaction between the two that is so natural and looks beautiful when caught on camera
  8. Be aware of your surroundings. Take a look at what’s in the background, think about any props you may want to use
  9. Experiment with different angles and approaches to taking the photo to see what works best. Once you’ve started taking the photos you will soon see what looks good and what doesn’t
  10. Be patient – you may not get the perfect shot straight away but keep trying
  11. Last but not least, make sure you reward your pet with a treat after all of their hard work. You want them to come back and model again for you after all right?

Turning your photos into gifts

So now that you’ve taken lots of great pictures, what do you do with them? How about printing one on canvas, or perhaps creating your very own framed print. If you want something a little smaller you could opt for our photo coasters, phone cases, or keyrings. However, if you fancy something a little cosier, why not choose one of our beautiful faux-suede cushions.

The main thing to think about when personalising a product is the positioning of the image. You want to make the most of what you’ve got so that you do the image justice. Below are a few ideas and examples to get you started.

Framed print – choose a frame colour that compliments the image and position the image so that there is a central focus

Classic phone case – choose from either white or black and try to fill the whole space. Also watch out for the camera holes as you do not want these to cut into too much of your image

Photo cushion – customise your image on the front and choose from a variety of backing colours including white, charcoal, stone, and grey

Photo canvas – when creating a canvas you need to think about the scalability of the image, and the dimensions that would suit it best. You can play around with the sizes and canvas edge options using our dynamic editor as shown on the right

For the edges you want to pick something that compliments your image. For example if your photo contains people, a mirror edge is not going the best choice – go for something like white or black. If your image is more scenic, the mirror blur option may be the one for you.

Premium keyring – choose from either circle or square, whichever suits your image best, or go for our classic keyrings which come in multipacks

Photo coaster – choose either a single or a multipack of 4/6. You can even choose different images for each coaster with the multipacks!

So there you have it! Some top tips from us for taking great pet photos, and some advice on creating the pawww-fect personalised gift. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading, now go get snapping!

Further links for you to visit for more ideas and advice

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