-When taking photos-
-Natural, outdoor lighting early or late in the day (when the sun is low) provides great light, if it's too sunny it may cause extreme highlights and dark shadows on the animal so pick a slightly shaded area to shoot, but not too shady as the shots will be too dark to define details, overcast days provide great even outdoor lighting.
-Flash is probably not a good idea when taking a photo for a portrait because it causes the "glowy" eye in animals and sometimes creates harsh highlights & unneccesary shadows on them.
-If photographing indoors a great alternative to flash is to raise the blinds/open some windows to let in as much natural light as possible but remember, when taking indoor pictures of your pet with outdoor light coming through a window, always have your back to the light to avoid the animal from just being a soulouette in the shot.
-Position yourself at your pet's eye level and focus on their eye try to fill the camera's frame with your subject for more detail and make sure your pet stands out clearly from the background.
-When Choosing a photo for the portrait-
-If your favorite photo was taken with flash and the animal has a glowy eye, you can send an additional photo of their eye clearly seen otherwise the animal's eye will be drawn as it is in the original photo.
-Make sure it's a good expression of the animal's personality, ask yourself if this is the face that says it all about them.
-If you are using a digital camera, use the highest quality setting.
-Save digital files in JPG/JPEG, BMP, or PNG formats
-Most of all, be patient, don't get frustrated if the dog doesn't listen or take good photos the first couple of times, sit with the dog for a few minutes and try to get them relaxed, get down to their level and take random shots use treats or toys to get them to look at the camera, don't call them as they'll usually get up and come to you, be patient and you'll eventually get that perfect one.
