Valentine's Day Photos With Your Dog: A Practical Guide

The short answer for Valentine's Day photos with your dog is to shoot in window light or outdoors before sunset, get down to the dog's eye level, and have a helper hold a treat just behind the camera. Everything else on this page is detail on those three things.

We make single ingredient freeze-dried treats in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and we end up taking more dog photos than we plan to. None of this needs a real camera. A phone and ten minutes will do it.

Start with the light

Light matters more than the camera. Indoors, put the dog near a window and stand so the window is to one side of the dog, not behind it. Overhead room lights make flat, yellow pictures and dark eyes. Outdoors, pick the hour before sunset, when the sun is low and warm and the shadows are soft.

Turn the flash off. It bounces straight back off a dog's eyes and leaves two bright dots where the eyes should be. If the room is too dark without it, move closer to the window or step outside.

Get low

Most dog pictures are taken from standing height, looking down, and it shows. Kneel or lie on the floor so the phone sits at the dog's eye level. The background drops away and the dog fills the frame.

Keep the background plain. A wall, a blanket or a stretch of lawn is enough, and a red or pink blanket under the dog does the Valentine's work without any other props. Clear the laundry out of the shot first. Tap the screen on the dog's eyes so the phone sets focus there.

The helper and the camera treat

This is the part that gets the dog looking at the lens. Have a helper stand behind you and hold a treat just above or beside the phone. The dog's eyes follow the treat, and the treat is right where you want them. If you are on your own, hold the treat in your free hand against the side of the phone.

Work in short sessions. Five minutes is plenty. Hold the shutter button down for burst mode so the phone takes a run of frames, then pick the best one later. The good frame is usually the one in the middle of a head turn, and you will not catch it by tapping.

For the camera treat, use something small that smells strong and breaks into small pieces. Two of ours fit:

• Freeze-Dried Cheddar Cheese Dog Treats are one ingredient, cheddar cheese, freeze-dried in small batches in Malvern. They are a small piece, crunchy and non-greasy, so nothing smears in your pocket. They contain dairy, so they are not suited to dogs with dairy sensitivities.
• Freeze-Dried Beef Heart Dog Treats are one ingredient, beef heart, freeze-dried in small batches in Malvern. The texture is firm and the piece snaps into smaller ones, and it is milder than liver. It comes in 1.5, 3 and 6 ounce bags. A heart on Valentine's Day is a fair excuse.

Tear pieces down to the size of a pea so the dog is not busy chewing when you want the head up. If your dog is on a special diet, ask your veterinarian before you add treats for the shoot. The Valentine's collection has more treats for the day.

Props that work

A bandana does more than any other prop, because it goes on in a few seconds and stays in the picture. Our Circle-Logo Dog Bandana has a 3-inch circle logo printed on the front panel. It comes in white or black, in one size, and it ties on. The folded triangle measures roughly 21 inches across the long edge, and the cotton-blend washes cold and hangs dry. A white one stands out on a dark coat and a black one on a light coat. Tie it on a few minutes before the photos so it is just part of the outfit by the time you start.

For other bandanas and bows, we wrote a separate page on Valentine outfits for dogs and their owners. Leave the box of chocolates out of the set. Use a blanket, a card or the roses below.

Roses are an easy flower

If roses are in the picture, the ASPCA plant entry for roses is the one to read first, and we take the petals and stems away when the shoot is done so nothing gets carried off.

Lilies stay out of a house with a cat

Lilies are different. The ASPCA plant entry for lilies is the one to read if a cat lives in your house; we leave lilies out of the bouquet or at the store.

Valentine's Day photos with your dog and a partner

The couple shot is easy to get wrong because the dog is the hardest one to place. So set up everything else first. Prop the phone on a stack of books at the dog's eye level, set a ten second timer and switch on burst mode. Sit down together on the floor or the couch, close, with one hand free.

The dog goes last. Bring the dog into the frame once the two of you are in position, treat in your free hand and held up near the lens. Start the timer, then hold still. People tend to keep rearranging while the dog gets placed, and the timer runs out on a shot of one person looking at another. Take a few rounds and keep the best.

A photo in the car

If you have a car you like, use it. A dog on the passenger seat with the door open and the sun coming in from the side makes a good Valentine's picture, and we have a longer page on photographing your dog with your car. Wipe the dash and the seat first. The reflection in the glass will show whatever is on them.

Sharing the photo

Pick one or two frames, not the whole burst. Crop in a little so the dog's face is the biggest thing in it. A printed 4 by 6 tucked into a card lasts longer than a text, and it is easy to hand to someone who loves the dog as much as you do.

Photo questions

What time of day is best for a dog photo?

The hour before sunset outdoors, when the sun is low and warm. Indoors, any time of day when the window is bright and the sun is not hitting the glass directly.

How do I get my dog to look at the camera?

Hold a small treat just above or beside the lens, or have a helper hold it behind you. Say the dog's name once, wait for the head to turn, and take a run of burst frames.

Should I use the flash?

Skip it. It bounces off the eyes and leaves bright dots. Move closer to a window or step outdoors for more light instead.

How many treats should I use for a photo session?

Small pieces and a short session. The cheddar bites label says to feed as a treat or reward, and not as a complete diet. Tear each piece smaller and keep the rest of the bag in your pocket.

Which color bandana shows up best?

Pick the one that contrasts with the dog's coat. Our circle-logo bandana comes in white or black, so a dark-coated dog goes in the white one and a light-coated dog goes in the black one.

Can roses be in the photo with a cat?

Lilies are the flower to keep out of any house with a cat.