We wanted to give you some easy recipes and dog photoshoot ideas to try out with your pup! You can try any of these shots at home or out in a park and are bound to get the same results. Whether you are a dog owner who runs a social media account for your furry friend, or you do this professionally, there is a creative & fun tip in here for you! Most of these photos can be shot on either a smartphone camera or your DSLR/Mirrorless camera – remember, it isn’t necessarily about the gear for these dog photoshoot ideas, it’s about the creativity!
Dog Photoshoot Idea #1: Shoot From Their Perspective
What do dogs love more than their humans? Treats, of course! One of my favorite dog photoshoot ideas is to think about perspective angles from a dog’s POV. For this shot, I grabbed an acrylic sheet and applied a circle of almond butter just enough for my lens to peek through it. All I had to do was press my shutter as hilarity ensued and the dogs came ravaging towards my lens. Make sure the treat you are using is dog-friendly!
Dog Photoshoot Idea #2: Foreground Subject, Background Blur
This is a great tip for getting great dog portraits on an engagement session or family session. Place the dog closer to your camera and the subjects just a couple of feet behind. Hold one of the dog’s favorite treats just on top of your lens to get its attention. This is the perfect dog photoshoot idea that provides some context as to who its owner is and adds more interest to the frame. You can watch the full shoot-through tutorial here!
Dog Photoshoot Idea #3: Shoot Top Down
Similar to our first tip, try changing up your perspective this time to tell the viewer what your pup looks like from your perspective. Shooting top-down, while your dog looks up at the lens, is sure to yield some adorable photos. It’s always a good idea to use a treat as an incentive to get your dog to look at your lens.
Photo by Elke Vogelsang Hildesheim, Germany, finalist for the Mars Petcare Comedy Pet Photo Awards
Dog Photoshoot Idea #4: Capture Action
This has easily got to be my favorite dog photoshoot idea. While some of the previous tips can be shot on your smartphone camera, this one requires a DSLR or mirrorless. This technique works best when there is a lot of light and your dog is set against a black background to contrast the water droplets. Thoroughly wet your dog, or maybe choose to do this shoot post-shower. Grab your camera and set your shutter speed to 1/2000th or faster, you’ll need the speed since this motion happens so quickly. Once you’ve wet your dog, they are likely to give you a shake within seconds of placing them in the proper spot where you want to take your photo so be ready to capture the action.
Pretty much anything dogs do is funnier in slow-mo, it’s almost guaranteed. You can also record your pup in slow-motion as they run towards your lens and make sure you have a treat in hand to reward them for their performance.
Dog Photoshoot Idea #5: Use Props
This is definitely something we’ve picked up from the numerous dog Instagram accounts online – prop usage. Whether there is a holiday coming up or you got suckered into buying a cute sweater for your pup, this is the ‘paw-fect’ dog photoshoot idea for any dog owner. Make sure that when purchasing the props you make sure they are dog friendly and if they aren’t that you keep a close watch on whether or not they will accidentally chew on something they aren’t supposed to. Here we’re just using string lights for their holiday card photo shoot but you can see Rusty, on the left, is wearing a sweater as well!
Dog Photoshoot Idea #5: Take an Artistic Portrait
The awesomeness of the image above needs no description.
Conclusion
What other fun dog photoshoot ideas have you tried & loved with your pet? If you’re interested in learning more about honing in your creative skills to capture more fun and unique dog photos, make sure you watch our Creative Photography 101 course that is designed to help teach you how to be more creative using the gear you already own!
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