Pet Photography Tips and Techniques

Gear Used:
D5 Lighting Kit:
X-Drop System Background:

Team Westcott joins the Toledo Area Humane Society to teach pet photographers, photography enthusiasts, and shelters how to take better, professional-quality pet portraits.

When photographing dogs and cats, it is important to remain patient and calm during the shoot. Minimizing distractions and using toys to direct the pet’s attention are great tricks to capture great images.

It has been proven that shelters with better photographs of their adoptable pets see higher adoption rates. Here, Brandon photographs pets in the lobby of a local humane society with a very compact and portable studio setup. He positions the pets on the easy-to-use X-Drop Backdrop system with a white vinyl backdrop. Vinyl is easy to clean and utilizing a solid color ensures a versatile and subtle setting.

Brandon also uses two Westcott Basics D5 continuous lights with square softboxes. These lights are affordable and easy to setup, producing a soft and appealing light source. Continuous lighting is also much less distracting to animals than strobes, flash, or speedlites.