Experts Share How To Take The Best Photos Of Your Dog Right On Your Phone
Fur parents, 'tis the season to ring in the howlidays with a paw-some photo (or 10) of your fur baby. If your pup won't be posing with Santa this year, you can still ensure a memorable photoshoot and channel your inner photographer with these iPhone dog photo tips from The Dogist. From capturing your four-legged friend's best angles to snagging the perfect "boop" shot, these suggestions will make you a pro dog photographer in no time.
With the help of their pups and muses, Waffle and Simon, Dogist team members Kate Speer of @WaffleNugget and Isabel Klee of @SimonSits, shared some trade secrets about snapping the perfect shot of your pup. If you're not familiar with The Dogist, it's a website devoted sharing photos and stories of, you guessed it, dogs. In an email to Elite Daily, Apple shared Speer and Klee's hottest tips for dog pics to make sure you get 'Gram-worthy shots. Every dog parent knows it can be ruff to get even the most seasoned pup to pose for a photo, but these tips ensure you can capture your furry BFF's best features with a little help from these iPhone camera features.
1. Brush up your pup's "sit & stay" skills.
Unsurprisingly, Speer and Klee emphasize this as one of the most important pointers to keep in mind to make sure you're able to get the clear shot you want (and make the photoshoot run much more quickly and smoothly). Before shooting, make sure to teach puppies how to sit and stay (treats as rewards are always a good idea), and brush up your dog's skills if you haven't in a while.
2. When framing, take it to their level.
Another reason you'll want to make sure they've got "sit and stay" down is that you'll ideally be kneeling to get the camera at eye level. If you're up too high, their body will look distorted in the photo.
3. Focus on the eyes.
It can be tough if you pup is moving his or her head around while you're attempting to play paparazzi, but Speer and Klee say a good rule of thumb is tapping your iPhone's camera screen on your dog's eyes to get a good point of focus before snapping your shot.
4. Speaking of eyes, eye contact is key.
Speer and Klee say the biggest trick of the trade is getting your dog to look at you while you're snapping the shot, which makes them look much more engaged. Unfortunately, as every fur parent knows, this can be near impossible. At The Dogist, they put a treat, a squeaky toy, or something else the dog will respond to right above the camera lens as an easy way to capture the pup's attention and make them look right at the camera.
5. Make your photo look more professional with Portrait mode.
Whether this is the first or the millionth time you're photographing your pup, using an iPhone feature like Portrait mode (available on iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, the iPhone X, and later) can further enhance the viewer's focus on your four-legged friend by blurring out the background. A Dogist tip? Shooting your photo during golden hour, as the lighting when the sun starts to set is notoriously flattering.
6. Don't forget the personality shots.
Give your friends and family a snapshot of your pup's irresistible personality with a photo that captures who they are. With the iPhone 11 and 12 Pro and Pro Max's Telephoto camera zoom feature, you can grab a "boop shot" (which you can capture by tapping on the 2x button on your iPhone 11 Pro camera or 2.5x on your iPhone 12 Pro Max camera). If you have an earlier version of an iPhone, you can use whatever zoom capabilities it has to capture your pup's "boop shot," or one of their trademark expressions.
7. The more photos, the better.
Don't be discouraged if your pup won't sit still or moves at the last second when you're trying to snap your photo. Speer and Klee emphasize taking as many photos as possible (and a lot more than you think you need) to give yourself the best chances of snapping the perfect shot. It's important to have fun with it, and if you find yourself getting frustrated, take a break and try again later.
With the end of 2020 right around the corner, there's no better way to bid adieu to a challenging year than by spending time with your fur baby, and capturing all the sweetest moments.
