Four tips to taking a great picture of your dog

Lucky you! Your dog is, by far, the cutest canine in the world! These easy tricks will help you capture his special spark in photos:

Pick a good location

• Light is important. You need some, but not too much. If you’re outside and the sun is bright, choose a shady spot. And if you’re inside, stay close to a window. Avoid back-lighting (where the light source — sun or lamp — is behind your dog).

• Look at the background, too. If the scenery behind your dog is distracting, move slightly to one side or the other. Or, change your angle.

Put the camera at your dog’s eye level

• Your dog’s face (those eyes! that expression!) is always cuter than the top of her head. Get down on the floor so you’re looking directly at her sweet mug.

Give the dog time to settle down

• Once you’re down on the ground, your dog probably thinks you’re ready to play. So go ahead and throw the ball. Let her burn off some energy before the photo session starts.

Shoot bursts of photos

• Dogs move fast, making it hard to time the perfect shot. To improve your chances, hold down the shutter button and shoot a series of photos. Delete the ones that don’t turn out.

Bonus tip: Ask someone else to operate the camera. Then, stand right behind the photographer and engage your dog for the best reactions and expressions.