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Spot of Tea Designs

Spot of Tea Designs

Holiday Pet Photography Tips {Guest Post}

in Celebrations, Christmas

Looking for some pet photography tips to get a great shot of Fido for your Christmas Card? Check out this awesome post from my talented friend, and SOTD Contributor, Jamie, showing some tips to photograph your best this holiday season!

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links, which come at no cost to you. Know that I only promote products I personally use and stand behind. To learn more about my affiliates, please review my disclosure policy.

For our holiday cards last year, I wanted to feature the newest member of our family – and my favorite model – our puppy, Pippa.  I usually take most of my photos outdoors, but the weather was chilly and most of the scenic areas by my home were full of dead grass and naked trees.  I decided to try an indoor photo shoot, but I didn’t want to use my home as the backdrop.  I was looking for a more festive look, so I set up a “faux studio”.  Here are some pet photography tips and must-haves for creating your own successful photo shoot:

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Lighting – I don’t like using a flash indoors if I can avoid it.  Take advantage of natural light if you can. Pick the brightest spot in your home for your “studio”.  Make sure to turn on any light fixtures and overhead lighting in the room.  I also used a construction spotlight (we already owned one from our numerous painting projects) and clipped it to the back of a dining chair.  Make sure that wherever you will be standing that you are not creating a shadow over your shooting area.

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Backdrop – The perfect affordable backdrop?  Wrapping paper!  I choose a bright green and red polka dot because I thought the colors would really pop in contrast to my black and white pup.  Use the paper to cover an area of wall and floor and secure with painters tape. Think about the size of your subject and evaluate how much backdrop you will need.  Also keep in mind that if you are photographing a small child or pet they most likely will not sit still in the middle of your “set”.  I used an entire roll of paper, which I tiled, into 4 pieces – 2 side by side on the wall, and 2 side by side on the floor. Tip:  try to match the pattern just like you are wallpapering – it will save you later from trying to retouch it to look like one continuous backdrop.  I also bought an extra roll of paper just in case – if you don’t need it, use it to wrap presents.

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Photo Assistant – I cannot stress the importance of having a helper!  My job was to capture the moment, and I needed my hubby to “wrangle” the dog, keep her attention, and keep her on the backdrop. Don’t worry, he’s not hurting her here, only repositioning!

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Props – If you choose to use a prop think safety first!  A baby or puppy will put everything in their mouth so something fragile or glitter covered is probably not the best idea.  I choose to use a red ribbon for Pippa to interact with.

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Bribes – Pippa LOVES chicken.  My very smart assistant took a piece of chicken and tied it in a knot in the ribbon.  Perfect idea to get her even more interested in the ribbon!  Have treats, a favorite toy, and something that makes funny noises on hand.

Settings – I used a Digital SLR camera and while I love photography, I’m not so great at the technical aspects. I highly recommend checking out the Kevin & Amanda blog for some awesome photography tutorials. Enjoy Amanda’s amazing photos of her two Boston Terriers while you’re there!

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Quantity – If your subject is wiggly, the more shots the merrier!  Just keep moving and click click click!  Change your position for a variety of angles – move to the right and left, stand on a stool or chair so you are looking down on your subject, and even get down on your knees or stomach.  Try to keep your subject on the backdrop and in the frame, but keep in mind you can always crop later.  Even if some of your photos aren’t keepers, you’ll enjoy looking at the funny outtakes.

Holiday pet photography tips - how to get great shots for your Christmas cards | spotofteadesigns.com

Layout – Can’t pick just one shot or want to show a series of movement?  Try a triptych (“three fold”) layout for your photos.  I pulled the color inspiration for the card from my backdrop, and of course Pippa. Clever copy that reflects the mood of the photos completes the card.

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in Celebrations, Christmas # guest post Photo shoot

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jamie says

    December 8, 2012 at 8:14 am

    Thanks for inviting me to share!

    Reply
  2. sara says

    January 2, 2013 at 9:43 pm

    Just wonderful! Love the tips.

    Reply
  3. April says

    November 11, 2013 at 10:05 am

    Welcome to the world of Blogs!

    I loved the Pippa photo shoot. She’s adorable. (Wonder if our beloved Sweetie the Cat would be nearly as cooperative. ;>)

    April

    Reply
  4. Pet Portraits by Emma says

    December 11, 2013 at 12:20 pm

    Thanks for some amazing tips. Your photos of Pippa are wonderful. I just have two guinea pigs at the moment but maybe I will do a funny photo shoot of them eating through paper and ribbon. Happy holidays!

    Reply
  5. Angela says

    November 9, 2014 at 9:36 pm

    I appreciate this, and not just because I have a Boston too! Thanks for the post. I have tried to get pictures of ours in the past but they’ve never come out as well.

    Reply
    • Spot of Tea Designs says

      November 10, 2014 at 1:03 am

      They are such a cute breed! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  6. Anna Sakila says

    May 23, 2017 at 11:18 am

    Thank you for sharing your tips. I love getting pictures of my Golden Retrieve but he just sit there… facing the wrong way, then wander off looking for food. I can’t wait to try your tips – by the way, Pippa photos are great.

    Reply

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