Shoot Better Pet Portraits with a Halloween Twist (VIDEO)

If you’re a pet owner you undoubtedly shoot countless photos of your loyal friends.  Even pros take time out of assignments to photograph their beloved fur babies.

In the five-minute video below from our friends at Mango Street, a great source of “tutorials that don’t waste your time,” you’ll learn how to take better pet portraits. While these helpful tips work well throughout year, this episode has an emphasis on Halloween images that will amuse friends, family and trick-or-treaters.

As you’ll see, the “models” in this lesson are French Bulldogs. Having owned one myself, I can tell you it’s difficult to take a bad photo of these funny looking dogs that love to pose for the camera. That said, the suggestions in this video make it even easier to get great results.

The first tip is specific to Halloween; namely, dressing your pet in a cute costume. Just be sure not to force the issue if this makes the animal uncomfortable. As you’ll see, while one of the Frenchies complied immediately, Chester needed to sniff the outfit carefully before he agreed to get dressed.

Another way to make better pet portraits is to choose an interesting location, either indoors or outside. And a few props related to the costume can make images even more compelling. Backgrounds are important when shooting outdoors, and pointing the camera down on a pet standing on pavement is often a great choice.

Photographing two animals together greatly complicates the process, and an assistant will be a huge help. And knowing what motivates your pets (hint: treats) further simplifies the task.

There are a few other great tips for successful pet portrait sessions, so watch until the end. Then make this your weekend photo assignment and have some fun.

There are more great tips and tricks on the Mango Street YouTube channel, including some featuring these adorable bulldogs, so be sure to pay a visit.

And don’t miss the tutorial we posted earlier, with a bunch of fun camera hacks for spooky Halloween photos.

X