Data Needs: Dogs
Photography tips
Having photos for each of our animals is a priority! It is difficult to get a prospective adopter who is sitting at home surfing the web to get enthusiastic about a new pet that they can’t even see, so we want to get photos on the website as early as possible. Sometimes, though, the photos available are photos of the animals in their prior shelter homes (lots of chain link and concrete) or from a clinic setting (lots of hands wearing blue gloves). We want to replace these with happy photos of the animals as quickly as we can!
The following is some guidance about how to create the best photos
- No photos of dogs in their runs. Preferably, no photos of dogs indoors at all. We want green grass and blue skies! When outside, think about background objects (trash cans, etc) and frame your photo to keep the distractions to a minimum.
- Photos you submit do not have to be square, however the photo will appear square (cropped, not stretched) in many places on the website(s). Therefore, make sure that if your photo isn’t square that the animal is centered in the photo so that important details aren’t lost if the photo is shown cropped.
- We can put three photos on the website for each animal*. At least one of those photos should be a “full-body” photo so that prospective adopters can get an idea of the size and shape of the animal.
- Preferably, the animal is off-leash for the photo, but if that’s not possible, at least ensure that the leash is slack. Think about the prospective adopter, who has no idea how the animal is being treated, and make sure that the photos do not give them the wrong impression that a particular animal is difficult to control or that they are not being treated gently.
- Get low! You’ll get a better photo if you’re down at the animal’s level than if you’re shooting down on them from five feet above.
- It is better to have the sun behind you than behind the animal. Your color fidelity will be better if you can avoid shadows or shaded areas.
* PetFinder supports six photos (or five photos and a video), so we can post additional photos there.