Getting great photographs of your pets can be a challenge. Especially when you're trying to pose them. It can be a challenge to keep an animal sitting still while you tinker around with the camera. Sometimes the best photographs of pets come about when you just let the animal do what it wants. There are many great candid shots to be found amidst the daily routine. But if you want to pose your beloved pet for a photograph, here are some things to think about.

Get Close

Move in close. It's the one thing most amateur photographers forget to do. A close-up shot always looks professional. It's a small thing to take three steps closer, and your photos will be that much better for it.

As you get in close, the face of your pet takes prominence. Don't be afraid to fill the frame with the animal's face. Its eyes will always make for a striking, memorable portrait.

Don't Get Too Close

In following the advice I just gave you, you might find yourself getting too close. This will always distract the animal, and you may find man's best friend licking the front element of your lens. When this happens, you're too close. Closeness in photography can also be achieved by zooming in or using a telephoto lens. That way you can avoid the wet kisses.

Skip the Flash

Try to put your flash away and use available light whenever possible. The unnatural bursts of light from your flash can be awfully distracting to animals. Using the natural light of your surroundings will help keep the animal at ease.

Eye Level

Just like when you photograph children, you should try to work at the animal's eye level. This viewpoint, from animal's same perspective, helps put your viewer into their world. Don't be afraid to get down on the ground and show what things look like through the eyes of your pet. Photographs looking down on the animal from a human perspective have an emotional distance in them that you want to avoid.

Sitting Still

If you really must have your pet sit in a certain spot for a posed portrait, it helps to have a helper. Round up a friend to stand with your pet just off-camera to help the animal stay in place. A few treats on hand certainly don't hurt, either.

Discard the Rules

Don't be afraid to let loose with the camera and take chances. Photographs of animals are nearly always winners. With this photo, I'm breaking the "shoot from the animal's eye level" rule to emphasize the lines and shapes in the background. The eyes of the cat staring straight into the lens are hypnotic and make it all work.