Christmas Photos With Your Dog: 8 Tips for a Card-Worthy Shot
The family card, the tree, the new pajamas: your dog belongs in the picture. A few small tricks make the difference between thirty blurry tries and one you'll print.
8 tips
- Tire them out first. A long walk before the shoot buys you a calm dog.
- Use window light. Shoot near a big window during the day. Skip the flash: it causes glowing eyes and startles some dogs.
- Get down to their level. Photos taken at your dog's eye height look warmer than shots from above.
- Hold a treat right above the lens. Their eyes follow it, so they look straight at the camera.
- Use burst mode. Hold the shutter and pick the best frame later; one of twenty will have the head tilt.
- Keep outfits simple. A clip-on bow tie reads as festive without the fight of a sweater or antlers. It attaches to the collar they already wear.
- Keep it short. Five minutes, then a break and a reward. A stressed dog shows in the photo.
- Watch the tree. Keep ornaments, tinsel and lights out of reach while you shoot.
The finishing touch
Every Muddy Paw bow tie straps onto any collar up to 1" wide with velcro, so it goes on for the photo and comes off for the walk. Not sure which size? See the bow tie size guide.
