Shooting pets for stock photo sites

Pets are such an accessible subject. If you have a pet at home, you will be most likely tempted to sell pictures of it. Online collections already contain thousands of high quality images of pets that sell very well. Most agencies claim that they don’t need any more photos of this kind but everything depends on how you approach the subject.

“Snapshotty” photos of pets will be rejected and won’t sell even if accepted. High quality conceptual stock photos with pets will be accepted and will make good sales.

Here are some tips to help you make a sellable image of your pet.

Put your pet on a light uncluttered background. White background can work really well.

Think of some concept that your animal could represent. For example, a cat looking hungrily at an aquarium with fishes, a cat playing with kids, a dog bringing a newspaper, a dog accompanying an old person, or a puppy being caressed by a woman as if it were her child.

Which emotional impact would you like your photograph to produce? Images of cute and funny pets create good and warm feelings and evoke very positive, loving emotions. You can picture some funny everyday situations and all sorts of emotional relationships between people and their pets, or between pets themselves.

Animals move a lot so it may take some effort to catch that right expression or that right posture of the animal (unless you possess a turtle of cause!). Be patient. Attract your pet’s attention so that it looks in the camera, in a specific direction, or at the object you want it to look at. Working with an assistant could help a lot.