Photographing pets is lots of fun and very rewarding. Getting a good shot is also challenging.

Like people, pets have personality, facial expressions and body language. One of the goals should be to capture their actions and emotions, whether alone or with others. Focus, lighting, exposure and backgrounds play important roles in obtaining a successful photo. So does lots of patience on the part of the photographer.

Photograph pets in familiar surroundings

Nothing will make your pet more jittery than trying to photograph it in unfamiliar surroundings. Take pictures in a familiar spot so your pet is more at ease. Since pets are active, photograph them in restricted but comfortable areas so they don’t stray.

Natural lighting

Proper lighting is necessary so make sure there is enough of it. It’s preferable to use natural light rather than a flash, which can “spook” some animals. Bright light is best because you can more easily capture the texture of an animals fur, feathers, etc. If you can’t go outside, draw back window coverings or open a door to let outside light into the room. You may have to augment natural light with fill-in flash, particularly when the light is coming from behind the animal.

Using a flash

If your pet is not easily startled by a flash, use one when lighting is insufficient. To help prevent “white eye,” take the picture when the pet is not looking directly into the flash. Adjust white balance to match the dominant source of light.

Exposure and focus

Dark and light colored animals can be difficult to photograph, so take test photos to check your exposure. Use exposure compensation and bracket when needed.

Sasha by Darlene Goff

Whether photographing birds or bunnies, it’s almost always best to lock focus on the eyes.

That’s where people look first. For peppy looking photos, take shots when your pets ears are up and it’s nose is moist.

Stay at eye level

Avoid taking photos from above the pet. For more interesting looking pictures, shoot from eye-level even if it means getting down on the floor.

Watch the background

If your pet is dark colored, choose an area to shoot that has a light colored background. For light colored pets, choose a dark background. Also avoid cluttered, busy looking backgrounds so the eye is not distracted from the pet when looking at the photo.

Keep the composition tight

While full and mid-length shots are fine, filling the frame with your pet can result in stunning photos. You don’t have to photograph the entire body to get a great shot.

Zoom in

You can capture wonderful candid shots when your pet is unaware that it is being photographed. Stand back and zoom in. Another benefit of zooming in is that depth-of-field will be reduced so the pet will be in sharp focus and the background blurred.

For action shots, use burst mode

Unless your pet is sleeping, it will most likely be moving.

Use continuous mode if it is engaged in an activity such as running or playing. You can then select the best photos out of the series.

Take plenty of shots

Make sure to take lots of photos. You increase the odds of having several pictures that are “keepers.”