Taking Perfect Pet Pictures

When it comes to guilty pleasures, one of the best on the planet is the lolcats website. There's something incredibly fun about seeing cute pets in funny pictures, and the captions that follow are often hilarious. However, most people don't know how to take pet pictures! In order to get the perfect (or should I say "purrfect"?) picture, you'll need to do a few basic things.

To start off, try to catch your cat in its natural habitat. Instead of forcing it into a new place or activity, find good photo opportunities in the area your pet already knows and loves. If you absolutely must bring your pet to a new region, give them time to get acclimated before you take snapshots.

If you're going to get your pet involved in some strange activity, don't do anything that risks your pet's safety! Pet insurance is meant for accidents, not cases of sheer stupidity. On the subject of sheer stupidity: has anyone else noticed the pictures of cats wearing a variety of costumes? To me this only says that people are painfully oblivious to how much cats hate costumes.

One of the best things to do is keep your camera ready. If you don't, there will be a huge number of great "snapshots that could have been" that you miss completely. Trust me, you'll hate yourself later for not having a camera nearby.

If you're trying to get your pet to hold still for pictures, there's nothing wrong with bribery. Pets love their treats, and they're one of the few things that most pets will actually hold still for. Some pet photographers also suggest blowing a whistle in order to get your pet to move into an "alert position," which usually looks better on film. Other little tricks like taking pictures against a contrasting background and from a variety of angles are often advised.