Celebrate Your Photography Today

Bring your pets creativity to life.

If you have another person nearby, it might be easier if they use the toy to play with the pet while you snap pictures.

Tug-of-war toys work great for dogs, and string-type toys work well for cats, as you can entice them to come over. Any toy that keeps your pet mostly in the same place should be fine. Balls don't work as well, unless someone is throwing a ball in your direction. Otherwise, the animal will be running away from you. Use the appropriate voice for the type of pet you're photographing. For a dog, be very, very cheerful. Dogs love upbeat voices, especially when you're telling the dog what a good boy or girl they are! Other pets may do better with calm, almost cooing voices.

You know what your pet likes to hear! Use the pet names you have for it, using your happy voice. For instance, try a cheerful but calm voice when working with cats. For birds, be very cheerful, but not so loud you scare them. Whistles may help, too!

If it's not our pet, we get the owner to talk to the pet instead, as you may have better luck than we would. Surprise your pet so they look your way. Of course, you don't want to scare your pet, but something new and exciting can make them want to see what's going on. For instance, you could have a person pop out from behind you or use a squeaky toy to make a noise.

You could also try unique noises, such as finger drumming, tongue-clicking, scratching, and whistling.