Framing Cats & Dogs

For millions of people around the world, no family is complete without a cat or a dog. We lavish fortunes on our beloved pets, as well as our affections, so it's only understandable that we'd want to photograph them too.

But it seems we don't just like to take pictures of our own pets, we also love looking at other people's. According to Flickr, cats and dogs are among the most searched for terms in their community. I can believe it - my own handful of cat portraits are among my most viewed images on Flickr, and I've ‘favourited' numerous pet portraits by other people on Flickr myself.

The trouble is, pets are not easy to photograph. Dogs may come when you call, and cats may mysteriously appear at the sound of a can opener, but point a camera at them and they suddenly develop a mind of their own. Their typical reaction is to come right up to the camera and either rub up against it (if they're a cat) or stick their slobbery wet nose on the front of the lens (if they're a dog). Throw into the mix the challenge of focusing and exposure, and we have a cocktail of complexity that makes getting a great shot a real challenge.

But don't worry - we've put together a few tips on getting great animal portraits, liberally sprinkled with the wisdom of our contributing photographers, whose wonderful pet images grace the next few pages.

Humour and pets make a great combination. The cat's expression in this bath time moment is priceless. Canon EOS 40D, 85mm, 1/250sec, f/11, ISO 100

Title image: This shot owes its impact to the great lighting, the cat's expression and tight crop. Canon EOS 450D, 55mm, 1/400sec, f/5.6, ISO 400