Quick tips for taking PAWSOME puppy photos
Plan your photo shoot.
Let’s face it. We are all busy and time fly’s by very quickly. So, if you are getting a puppy, set aside time to take photos. Grab a friend or family member to help. It is easy to recruit helpers because puppies are just so CUTE. The moments you capture will be priceless. Puppies grow very quickly so take a ton of photos. Depending on the breed, the pups will usually go through some awkward growth spurts. I find that 7-9 weeks is a great time to get perfect puppy photos. PS.. There are no bad times to take puppy photos. Keep taking pictures. You will enjoy your photos forever.
Puppies grow quickly. This cute golden retriever puppy photo was taken when he was 7 weeks old. What a perfect time to take photographs.
Choose a location.
Find a safe outdoor location with some beautiful landscapes. I prefer to take an assistant with me, not only help pose a puppy, but also to keep them safe. Having an extra pair of hands allows me to focus on getting great photos, while keeping the puppy safe. I often photograph in local parks or even friends’ yards that are fenced in or away from traffic. My preference is always outdoors with natural light.
I photographed this golden retriever puppy in a remote area of a local park. Notice the great background. I love to mix rustic backgrounds in my retriever puppy photos. Outdoor settings and nice textures give a great feeling to the photos. Note that the color is beautiful but not overpowering. Photographing a puppy in a remote location is often easier because puppies will draw big crowds, which will be distracting to the dog and photographer.
Choose your background.
Backgrounds are the most overlooked aspect of creating great puppy photographs. I am constantly on the lookout for locations to photograph puppies. I look for backgrounds that are lending to each breed of dog. Since I love photographing the sporting and working dogs, outdoors is my preferred space. Rustic objects are very lending in creating a high impact photo. Some of my background preferences include rustic windows, tractors, barns, stonework, flowers, carts, and other random natural props I find when scouting locations. Once I decide I like a specific prop and location, I shoot at an angle in which the background is uncluttered. “Less is more” when choosing your backgrounds, and for good photos in general. Often the success of a given photo is more about what you leave out as much as what you put in. Get rid of any distracting backgrounds.
Time of day for the best light.
For the best photographs, the time of day you photograph will make all the difference. Early morning and late afternoon is the best light to photograph in. Second best would be under some shaded canopy such as trees if you are photographing in the middle of the day.
Early morning or late afternoon light is warmer and is at a lower angle in the sky so it will make your photos warmer and more flattering. The lighting is the biggest factor in separating an average photo from a great one. Plan to photograph in the morning or late afternoon, preferably both. You can never take to many photos. Therefore, just keep shooting.
Using natural props is fun. I found this Adirondack chair in a local state park. I took advantage of the beautiful blooms to use as a colorful background. Throwing the colorful background out of focus makes the dog stand out and photograph more beautiful. I love color. Just don’t overdo it or it distracts from the puppy.
Use treats and squeaky toys.
Yes…bribing your puppy is ok in this instance LOL. Take a treat that the pup has never had before. Something that smells good. If you can do a little training before your photo shoot that is even better. Use treats for training and positive reinforcement to get the pup to sit or lay down. Even a few seconds is adequate time to snap off a few photos. Once you get your puppy to strike a pose use a squeaky toy to make its ears pop up or get a funny expression on its face. This is often priceless and brings the photo to life.
In order to get this 9-week-old German shorthaired pointer to point we used a feather which you can see in the bottom right-hand corner of the photo. When you can bring out a breeds or puppy’s natural instinct, you create a winning photo.
BIG PRO TIP.
Study your dog’s movements and expressions before the photo shoot. By carefully watching your dog, they will give cues on what they will do next. By anticipating the behavior, you will be able to snap the shutter at the perfect time. Do not be afraid to take too many photos. You can never have too many. Just weed out the bad ones. No one will ever see them. Just pick out the best ones. (That is what the Pros do).
Bring out the personality of the dog.
This is the real key to getting a great photograph. Nobody knows your dog as well as you do. Your dog will do certain things, have certain expressions that make them unique and even more lovable. By studying your dog’s behavior, you will be able to capture that moment and it will be a picture you will treasure forever.
I photographed this pup at 3 months old. He was staying at my house for a while. What a great dog and fun personality. Knowing the dog’s personality helps to get great photos. He was always doing something goofy. I took my camera out one day. We were just playing in the yard. When I went outside the fence to get something out of my truck, he just kept peeking at me. I was laughing so hard and took a few images. I truly caught his personality. So just keep shooting. You never know what you will capture. I was at eye level with him which makes for a more impactful image.
Shoot at eye level.
Try photographing on one knee or even laying down to photograph the puppy at eye level. It brings you into their world, which is awesome. You will get more intimate portraits by doing this. It is much easier to get the puppy’s expressions this way. Plus, it is just more interesting and intimate.
Get eyes in focus. The eyes are the pathway to the soul. I often focus on a dog’s eyes. They tell a story. Great photos tell a story. If you can capture a great expression in the eyes you will always have a winning photo.
Tire the puppy out.
I always seem to get the best photographs when the puppy is a little tired. They are just more cooperative and easier to photograph. Do not be afraid to exercise the puppy before you do a photo shoot. Just be careful they are not so overworked that they fall asleep or look sleepy. Alert facial expressions bring a photo to life. You can get those sleeping puppy photos at the end of the photo shoot. All the exercise, excitement, and fresh air will certainly make your pup tired. Your puppy will sleep great the night of the photo shoot.
Always be ready to capture a moment. This pup was very active for most of the photo shoot. Here he took a minute to recharge and I was ready and thankful. He looks contemplative. It certainly captured a nice moment.
Bonus tip. Bring multiple puppies and a prop to contain them in. I often use carts, kayaks, rustic type carriages, or something large enough to cotain multiple pups. For this I plan to have at least 2 assistants to wrangle the pups up, place them, and keep them safe.
Action shots
Take these early in the photo shoot. Let your pup run around and burn off energy. Just keep shooting. You never know what you will capture. Worry about deleting the bad ones later. There are a few that will usually stand out. Letting your pup expend its energy will help calm them down and you will be able to pose them much easier later. I find that a puppy photo session can last anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the puppy. The average pup seems to last about 90 minutes before they get tired, bored, disinterested, or fidgety.
Plan your time carefully. I like to shoot late in the afternoon starting about 3 hours before sunset to get to a location and set up. Usually, the pup is most cooperative after about an hour of getting to a new location. I will most often get my best photos 15 to 60 minutes before sunset. Let the pup have a lot of fun and get used to the sounds and smells of the location before you even begin shooting. Oh…And get them used to the camera clicking days ahead of the photo shoot. That way they will not get spooked by the camera when you take them out for the real photo session.
Stay calm.
This is extremely important. The puppy will pick up on the energy of the people on the photo shoot. Whether it is the photographer, handler, or owner. Keeping everyone calm and having fun will help the puppy to relax. Relaxed puppies make for good puppy models and are much easier to photograph. I do not even drink coffee the days I photograph puppies…And I love my coffee.. but it amps me up and I found out by experience if I am amped up then the puppy will be also. It is fun and exciting when photographing a new puppy. But by keeping calm you will get better photographs. Once you are done and you get great photos it will be time to jump up and down and celebrate.
I saw this barn window from the road when I was out scouting for a new puppy photo location. My friend Tracy was holding him up by his little but. He and everyone on the photo shoot was calm and having a blast. Buddy was the perfect puppy model. I find that between 6 to 9 weeks is the perfect time to take great puppy photos. They look perfect, plus they still cannot run too fast which makes it easier to get great photos.
To read the whole story behind the photo and learn more about my children’s picture book Buddy’s Magic Window, which this photo inspired, go to dennisglennnon.com
Most of all, enjoy the time with your puppy. Have a blast. Take tons of photos. The pups grow so fast. Photos of your precious pups are PRICELESS. They will create memories that will last a lifetime.
So keep photographing and sharing your puppy’s awesome adventures with friends on social media. It is fun to share and follow friends dogs as they grow and get out and have fun adventures.
About Dennis Glennon.
Dennis Glennon is a professional dog and wildlife photographer and author of the newly released children’s picture book Buddy’s Magic Window.
To learn more about Buddy’s Magic Window, get a free pdf copy of the book, explore Dennis Glennon’s wildlife, nature, and dog photo galleries, and get more photo tips and fun stuff go to: http://Dennisglennon.com
