Top Tips for Taking Puppy Pictures

By: Simon Woodcock Posted June 5, 2024

It’s not always the biggest dogs that will strike fear in the heart of a pet photographer – sometimes it will be the smallest subjects that prove to be the trickiest to capture!

Puppies are notoriously difficult to photograph since they’re untrained and usually keen to explore all the new sights and sounds around them. Multiply this by 5, 6, 7 or even more young dogs from a litter and most photographers will have a challenge on their hands.

Here we list some of our top tips for successfully photographing a litter of puppies, so you can capture how they are at their cutest.

Find the Light

Set yourself up for success by finding the light before you start shooting. Using natural light is mostly likely going to offer the best results for photos.

Steer clear of spots with dappled light, such as under trees, unless the canopy is dense; otherwise, you might find beams piercing through and striking some of your subjects. Ideally, you want the light to be consistent across all your delightful young pooches.

Employing flash eradicates the issue of shadows or uneven light, but you risk startling or spooking the young puppies, so natural light is preferable. Steady LED lights can be invaluable in illuminating a scene, providing consistent and uniform light.

Turn On Your Camera's Motor Drive

Unless the whole litter falls asleep you won’t have long to photograph these young pups so shooting multiple frames per second will give more of a selection of frames to choose from.

Tire Them Out

If you’re hoping for a shot of the whole litter sleeping, you won’t have to wait long for the moment. Around 20 minutes of playing with a ball or rough and tumble should see them all pooped out pretty quickly which is when you have your time to place and shape them in your scene. Be warned, once they’ve powernapped they’ll be ready for action again!

Match Their Level

Being at the puppies eye level creates the connection between the puppies and the viewer so you’ll either need them raised on a platform or chair of some sort or you can get down to their eye level. It’s usually safer and easier to have the dogs on the ground and for the photographer to be on the ground, but be warned that to a puppy you’ll look like a plaything so you can expect to be sniffed, licked and pawed. Which is an adorable problem to have!

Use Props

Using a wicker basket to both contain and frame the puppies can work really well for a photo. Blankets, beds and rugs will give a softer look. Posing bean bags that are commonly used for newborn baby photography can also be useful for posing and creating a warm and cuddly feeling.

Make Use of Photoshop

Got a cracking shot but one puppy has its eyes half closed? Fear not, use the new AI Generative Fill feature in Adobe Photoshop to help sort out the easy to fix details. If you learn how to properly use these tools, then even imperfect shots can become great.

Get Some Help

Having an assistant is a great way to help things run smoother. With an assistant off to the side wrangling errant pups, the photographer can stay in place ready to shoot at a moment’s notice. The assistant can be anyone really – the only requirement is knowing how to handle dogs gently.

Don’t Forget the Details

Once you’ve successfully captured the group photo of the litter, don’t forget to grab some of the cute details such as the rolls and creases on the heads of some dogs, the tiny paws, close ups of the snout, miniature tails and the way young puppies play together. Capture the textures and the feelings, because that’s really what having a puppy is all about. All too soon, they’ll be all grown up and it will just be these memories of their cuteness that you’ll have.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simon Woodcock is the top dog and main photographer at Pupparazzi Pet Photography, based in Melbourne, Australia. With a natural and relaxed style of pet photography, you’ll often find Simon working outdoors with dogs, making use of the stunning locations that can be found in and around Melbourne’s beaches and parks. You can follow his work on the company’s Instagram account.

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