Take better photos: Pets

Photograph your pet during their usual routine—even if it’s simply hanging out on a favorite windowsill.

For a fun, fresh photo of your pet, try a new angle or unusual pose.

When taking pictures of your pet, stay true to their character—just like you would for a portrait of a person.

• Before you start snapping, consider what makes your pet unique and how you can best portray those qualities.
• You’ll be more likely to capture your pet’s true personality if you take photos of them in a favorite spot or while engaging in a favorite pastime, like playing fetch or taking a nap in a sunny spot.
• Try something new. For example, consider photographing your pet upside down! This yields a particularly amusing photo when the animal has droopy jowls, like bulldogs and boxers. Just roll him or her over, give their belly a rub, and take your shot!
• If you have more than one animal, use this opportunity to depict the special relationship between your pets. For example, try to catch them snuggled up on the couch or playing together outside.

Don’t let shutter lag or an unsteady camera cause you to miss out on a great action shot of your pet.

Pets can be active and spontaneous, which makes them exciting playmates, but challenging photo subjects. Follow these tips to avoid a blurry photo of your furry friend:

• Prevent shutter lag (the pause from the moment you press the shutter to when the camera takes the photo): hold the shutter button halfway down, wait for your subject to make their move, and then press the button down the rest of the way.
• Many digital cameras feature a built-in Action shooting mode that automatically accelerates your shutter speed so you can avoid the blur associated with motion.
• Use a tripod or brace yourself against a stationary object so it's easier to hold the camera still.

Not every picture needs to be a shot from head to paw—snap a close-up highlighting a specific feature of your pet.

It’s the small things that matter. Capture the detail of your pet's whiskers or the texture of their fur with a great close-up shot.

• Use your camera's zoom feature to get close—an ideal way to take a picture of a sleeping pet without waking them up.
• Zoom in on your pet after the photo is taken using the cropping tool offered on most photo editing software.

Just like red-eye in pictures of people, pet-eye can instantly ruin an otherwise frame-worthy photo of your pet.

Similar to the photo flaw red-eye, pet’s eyes also reflect light from a camera flash. This reflection (pet-eye) appears as different colors, most often green or yellow.

Because pet-eye is not always red, automatic red-eye removal tools are usually unable to eliminate it. Try the following tips to help prevent this glow in the first place:

• Whenever possible, avoid using your camera’s flash. If you need additional lighting, consider using other sources, like lamps.
• Stand farther away from your subject (remember, you can always crop in closer later).
• To prevent the flash from directly hitting your pet's face and eyes, shoot from an angle instead of straight on.

Add snapshots of your furry friends to the Pet Love Scrapbook, found on the HP Creative Studio.

Once you’ve captured some ideal pictures of your pet, share your images or use them in fun photo projects:

• Several HP Photosmart All-in-Ones allow you to upload pictures directly to your Snapfish account to share your pet portraits with friends and family. Learn more about printing from Snapfish at home—PC free.
• Visit the HP Creative Studio to find a variety of printable pet projects and crafts, including photo frames, scrapbook pages, and more.
• Find out more to help you share your photos and get creative.