How to take a pet photo that prints beautifully

Most pet photos are taken in a hurry, in a dim lounge room, of an animal that has just noticed a noise. They look fine on a phone and soft on paper. These six habits fix most of it, and none of them needs a proper camera.

1. Find the light first

Stand your pet near a window or take them outside into open shade. Bright, even daylight is what makes fur look sharp. Avoid direct midday sun, which gives hard shadows and squinting, and avoid the flash, which gives glowing eyes.

2. Get down to their level

Photos taken from standing height make every pet look like a small rug. Kneel or lie down so the camera is level with their eyes. The difference is immediate.

3. Tap to focus on the eyes

On a phone, tap the screen on the eye nearest the camera before you take the shot. If the eyes are sharp the photo reads as sharp, even when the ears are not.

4. Leave space around the head

Do not crop tight in the camera. A little room above the ears and either side gives you, or anyone making something from the photo, space to crop neatly later.

5. Take a burst, then pick one

Pets blink, lick and look away. Hold the shutter for a burst of ten and choose the best. A squeaky toy held just above the lens buys you about two seconds of attention.

6. Send the original, not a screenshot

This is the one that matters most for printing. A screenshot, or a photo saved back from social media or a messaging app, is a fraction of the size of the original. For an A4 print you want a photo at least 2,000 pixels on its short side. For A3, more. Use the file straight from your camera roll.

What we do with it

At The Goodest Gazette we turn photos like these into personalised newspaper front pages. Our upload box tells you straight away whether a photo is large enough for A4 or A3, so you know before you order.