The holidays are around the corner and nothing is more cheerful than receiving a heartfelt card with a puppy on the front! Here’s how to take the perfect holiday shot of your pup, no professional required!
Nothing spreads cheer more than sending out personalized holiday cards to our loved ones. Pups are excellent at lighting up people’s faces when they open up their envelopes or emails so of course, you have to include them in the family photos! If you’ve seen dog Instagram accounts and wondered “how do I get my pup to pose like that?” don’t worry! The best part about taking a great holiday photo of your pup is that you don’t need fancy camera equipment, editing software, or professional lessons to get a great picture! All you need is the right technique, patience, and a few simple tricks to really capture your puppy’s adorable features and personality!
Lighting is Everything!
One of the most important tips for a great picture is lighting! And that goes for all subjects, not just our pups!
If you’re planning on taking an outdoor snowy backdrop picture, pick a gray or overcast day without harsh sunlight. As a general tip, overcast days are great to capture outdoor scenes as they create a soft, even tone over your subject and backdrop.
For a classic next to the Christmas tree picture, avoid using flash which creates the dreaded red eyes in pups and a halo effect on the string lights. Instead, opt for as much natural light as possible, perhaps next to a window. But you don’t have that option, there are great and inexpensive light ring attachments you can use with your phone! Even though all our students look perfect in every shot, sometimes it’s just a little too dark so we opt for using a light ring to create those great well-lit shots featured on our Instagram! Remember, you can always brighten up your picture afterward!
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Maximize Your Phone’s Camera Features!
No fancy camera equipment needed for these photos! If you have a smartphone, you already have everything you need to snap the perfect shot of your pup. Portrait mode is one of our favorite camera features to use on our students at The Puppy Academy.
But there are other nifty features you can access on your smartphone to really get a great shot. Turn on your camera’s HDR setting to help with light balance and ensure that any energy-saving features are off which can reduce your camera’s performance speeds. Also, there are built-in shutter speed settings that help capture multiple shots if you have a particularly fidgety pup that can’t hold a pose for too long!
Getting Your Pup to Pose!
The perfect photo of your puppy is 90% pup and 10% technique! You don’t have to do much to capture your pup in a photo, the trick is keeping them engaged long enough to get the picture! There are a few ways to grab your puppy’s attention and keep them focused.
For starters, we recommend that you take pictures of your puppy after a walk, training session, or some fun playtime -- it can be easier for them to settle after they've had some exercise first. Plus, that's usually when you can capture pictures of your puppy with their tongue out and with a happy looking grin!
Then, get them in a comfortable position they don’t mind staying in for a period of time like sitting or laying down. Enlist the help of their favorite food or treat, or a toy and hold it above the camera lens to keep their eyes focused and make it seem like they are directly looking at the camera. If you’re aiming for an extra cute pose like a head-tilt, making a “squeak” noise with their toy can help but try to keep it at a minimum in case your puppy thinks you’re trying to get them to play with you!
Pro-tip: Puppy training really helps with posing, especially if this is your puppy’s first-holiday photoshoot! Work on their Sit and Stay commands beforehand and try to get your puppy comfortable with staying still for a longer duration of time by giving them treats and praise the longer they hold it. Also, if you plan on using a camera instead of a cell phone, let your puppy see, sniff, and just be next to the camera so they are comfortable with it before you plan on photographing them.
Get Creative!
Don’t be afraid to experiment a little in an attempt at getting the perfect holiday picture of your puppy!
Get down on their level so the photo looks like it’s more from their perspective, or take some close up detail shots of your pup to show their cutest angles. You can also try to experiment with adding different color backdrops which can create a more professional looking photo!
Editing is Your Secret Weapon!
Editing software has come a long way and is much more user-friendly than before! Your phone features color, lighting, cropping, brightness, and many more editing features built-in that you can adjust to create beautiful effects.
We love utilizing filters and presets for editing photos! These saved editing adjustments make transforming our students’ pictures into frame-worthy keepsakes super easy and fast! And don’t worry if you really don’t think you’ve got a handle on editing. We’ve put together great holiday-themed presets that you can download!
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There’ll definitely be some practice shots with plenty of adorable bloopers along the way! But it’s all about having fun and capturing your pup’s personality. Like we mentioned earlier, the perfect shot is 90% your pup, so even if it isn’t the perfect pose you wanted, there’s nothing cuter than a puppy on a holiday card! We hope that you, your family, and your puppy have an amazing holiday season!
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