By Karthik Nair*
We all love clicking pictures of our pets, don’t we? Today with Instagram and other social platforms just a click away, pets are a source of content for every pet owner! Whether it’s a cute puppy face, or that embarrassed look right after they’ve been caught red handed, we all love capturing these moments. However, the ones that are priceless, the ones you would cherish for a lifetime are the more candid ones that bring to life the special bond that you share with your pet. While you would need a professional pet photographer to help you capture these moments, here are a few must-have poses that you could capture with ease:
1. The Classic Selfie
This is a pose that needs no explanation. It’s as simple as keeping your pet on your lap (if they’re tiny enough) or sitting down beside them and whipping out that front camera on your smart phone. Dogs usually get jittery when you try to hold them from behind, so you’re going to have to be quick and wait for right moment before you hit the click button!
2. The Paw Shot
This one never gets old. It’s a picture that could go up on a wall in your bedroom, living room or your desk. This is where you hold your pet’s paw in one hand, quite like you’d hold your partner’s hand just before you put that ring on their finger! The ideal shot here would be from above your shoulder, making your hand and the paw visible from above.
3. The Tricks
This one always works! Your pet would drop whatever it is they’re doing and give you all their attention when they see a treat in your hand. This is when you make the most of their obedience. Get them to look straight into your lens, have them perform tricks, or just watch their eyes light up with excitement. You’ll almost always end up with good pictures here, as your pet is looking right at you and you’re able to capture their personality really well.
4. What Was That?
If you have a dog, you know what I’m talking about. They all have a certain way of reacting to sounds/trigger words like ‘Walk’, ‘treat’, ‘Take!’ and so on. Have you ever tried a dog whistle? If you haven’t, be sure to try it out with your camera turned on. You will be able to capture those really cute head tilts, their ears popping up and their eyes lit with curiosity.
5. The Quirky Pose
All our pets have a weird, quirky, unexplainable side to them. For some it’s a peculiar way of lying down, for some it’s the common belly rub pose lying on the back with all fours up! We all have pets with funny sides to them, and these always make for good photographs.
6. The Portrait
This is as basic and classy as it can get. The objective of this photograph is to highlight your pet’s personality, with them being the only thing in focus. You could go for a close up, just capturing the face, or take a step back and capture their entire body. Remember, focus is everything. Everything around them should be out of focus or blurred (bokeh as your fancy smartphones would prompt you).
7. The Car Ride
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned car ride with the windows rolled down? This one’s easy! Pop your pet in the back seat and let him have a ball while you click away! You’d end up with some lovely shots, ears flapping, tongue out, blurry backgrounds, and a puppy smiling from ear to ear!
8. Get Down
This is more of a process than a pose where you capture photos from the perspective of the pet, or by getting down to their level. A classic shot here would be to lie down in front of them when they’re back from a long walk and are sprawled across the floor. You’ll get beautiful bottom-top images of their face, their eyes rolling upward, tongue out on the floor etc.
9. Props Galore!
This is where you get creative. You could use scarves, shades, hats, bowties, the list goes on. Find what suits your pet best and click away! While shades and T-shirts could be difficult to get them into (or out of), bowties and bandanas are usually easy and make for some great photos.
10. Burst Mode
This one is usually hard to capture, but if done right can provide some outstanding photos. Here, the goal is to capture your pet while in motion, usually running to fetch a ball or a toy. You’ll inevitably capture tongues flying all over the place, ears flapping, eyes on the prize, and their body just off the ground.
These are some of the classic poses I like to capture in my shoots. However, as mentioned earlier, it is more of the candid moments between you and your pet that are the highlight of any photoshoot. Head over to my Instagram account to see some snippets from my shoots @furry.moments
*He is the founder of ‘Furry Moments Pet Photography’. His brand got a lot of recognition and traction across cities like Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Delhi. He’s currently into the startup ecosystem as a Venture Capitalist, investing in early stage tech ventures.
You can visit his Instagram handle @furry.moments.
