DIY Puppy Photoshoot tips for awesome photos of your pup!

How to take awesome photos of your puppy

How To Prepare For A DIY Puppy Photoshoot - In the house

You probably feel that your brand new pup seems to swing between being fast asleep or zooming around at a rate of knots with nothing in between but trust me, there are times between the two that make for great times to get photos as well of course the obligatory puppy asleep shots. 

The first few weeks when puppy comes home can be a great time for getting sleepy pics and also you’re probably already working on “sit” so this can be really helpful for your DIY puppy Photoshoot

Have a look around your house at where the light from outside coming through a window or door is good - you don’t want direct light shining onto your pup but defused light from a window is lovely (you can read more about this on my 12 tips to taking stunning photos of your furry best friend here), and get some scrummy training treats ready in a little pot along with a squeaky toy in your pocket (be careful when you sit down, it will squeak!)

Make sure any clutter is cleared away, there’s absolutely nothing worse than capturing a beautiful moment only to realise there is a huge soggy half eaten dinosaur or similar appearing out of your puppy’s head!

I personally prefer to use a background that’s native to the house rather than a blanket draped over something so again make sure your background is clean and clear of clutter

Take a photo without puppy in it and check for any distractions in the background then take your puppy outside to run off a little steam and get any necessaries done (I once had a puppy pee with excitement during her puppy Photoshoot which was absolutely fine in the studio but not so good when you’re trying to toilet train at home!)

When you’ve done all this it’s time to get shooting! 

Sit or lie on the floor, camera ready, and lure your puppy with a treat or toy to where you want them to be and ask them to sit

Before you tell them what a great good boy or girl they are, snap a pic or 3 and then reward them with a treat. The only difference from this and positive reward training is you’re pausing for a brief second to take the photo before giving them praise and reward.

Beware, your natural reaction is to excitedly praise your dog as soon as their bum hits the floor… at which point your puppy is so pleased they made you happy the bum comes straight back up and your puppy wants payment! As with all photography, timing is absolutely everything

I thought it would be a good test to see what happens with Mash, my 9 year old dachshund, who is very used to having his photo taken (& usually moves in for his reward as soon as he hears the camera shutter go!). Obviously when videoing there is no camera shutter noise but sure enough as soon as I said “good boy” he was off looking for his wages 😂

You’ll need to take an awful lot of photos to get the one killer shot so you need to be patient, also remember though your puppy doesn’t have a big attention span at the moment so little and often is the key, there’s nothing worse than you getting frustrated when your puppy hasn’t done anything other than being a puppy.

Creative Photos of your Puppy

I love to use items of scale to show how little puppies are, one of my favourite photos of Mash is him curled up in my slippers 🥰 You can get really creative using height charts, your puppy’s first toy, letter boards and even your front door! So much cuteness is almost a good enough reason to get another puppy!

Newborn Puppy Photoshoot tips

You may not always get the chance to get great photos of your puppy before they come home but let’s face it an 8 -10 week old puppy still counts as newborn right?!

Props For A Puppy Photoshoot

Collect some baskets or crates you have around your home and use as props for your Photoshoot of your newborn puppy 

You could also include accessories for the puppy, such as a pretty collar or bandana. Their first toy to snuggle up with or their new fluffy blanket can make these lovely moments when puppy has a full belly and is sleepy turn into a super easy DIY newborn puppy Photoshoot! 

Go a little careful with using fresh flowers, we’ve all seen beautiful photos of puppies with flower crowns and collars but before using please make sure they are in no way harmful to you puppy, as you’ve probably already discovered new puppies discover & learn about the world around them with their mouths and it’s just not worth the risk to your puppies health

How to take newborn puppy photos

The best time to take these snuggly, sleep photos of your newborn puppy is just after they’ve been out to the garden after a meal. With bellies full of food they’ll be super sleepy so as they start to drop off place them gently in the basket or crate or whatever you’re using, keep your hands on them til they settle and slowly take your hands away as they fall into a deeper sleep.

If you’ve placed your puppy well (make sure their head is a little higher than the rest of their body with nose pointing out or up) you can use the opportunity to get different pics from lots of angles - close ups of the nose, paws, wide angle from eye height, from above, the possibilities are endless! Enjoy these moments and if your puppy starts to dream pop your camera into video mode and take a few seconds of filming for you to look back on too.

DIY Puppy photos outside

If you’re shooting outside then consider hiring a secure field or using a large garden if pup doesn’t have recall yet so they can run off lead. There’s nothing more distracting in a photo that a lead holding your puppy back and whilst we as professional dog photographers have lots of super whizzy editing tools to remove leads from our photos you probably won’t won’t to bother with all the work!

Just as with photos of your puppy inside make sure where you’re photographing is free of clutter, I saw a lovely puppy photo the other day but couldn’t tear my eyes away from the telegraph pole sticking out of puppy’s head!

When photographing on your phone it’s easiest to look for an area where the light is behind you so there are no hard shadows on puppy’s face and so your phone can adjust it’s settings to having a quick shutter speed as there will be lots of light falling onto your puppy.

Get low down on your belly and just snap away as your puppy explores the world around them, as they’re getting tired (this can quite literally be after 10 minutes, remember they shouldn’t be walked for long on your bones that are still growing) you can try asking your puppy to sit but don’t be surprised if this doesn’t happen the first few times, there’s far more important things for your puppy to be doing!

Also please don't worry if your puppy isn't looking at you, the inquisitive nature of a puppy is something that really appeals to us hoomums so if making squeaky noises or blowing raspberries isn't working, just capture the natural moments as they unfold.

Most importantly of all, make sure you and your puppy are you’re enjoying yourselves, and take a few selfies with your puppy! These precious moments don’t last for long

In Conclusion

Have fun trying out these puppy photoshoot tips with your little bundle of joy. Remember, patience is key and if your pup (or you) begins getting frustrated, just take a break and if you're really not getting the results you're looking for please get in touch with any questions or to book one of my super cute Puppy Photoshoots

I’d love to see your beautiful photos. Please tag me on Instagram @mash_at_lovephodography and share the puppy love! 



Happy snapping!