Dog photographers don’t truly get enough credit. Their job can be kind of ruff. Sorry, I had to make that pun. But working with dogs is personality work; except that sometimes you haven’t met the client at all beforehand. However, these photographers are fantastic at getting the photos that they do. So we think you should dive into these fun dog photos with us. Here are some of the best dog photographers that we’ve interviewed.
All images in this article are used with permission within our interviews. Want to get your work featured? Here’s how to do it!
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Chris Van Riel
Dog Photographer Chris Van Riel is a master of fun pup photography. And to do that, he uses high-end camera gear to capture just the right moments. In our interview, he shared that he’s even started to teach workshops around dog photography. Here’s how he makes photos like this:
To make these kinds of photos, you need to be square to the direction of movement. (Photograph it from the side). If you want to photograph it after throwing the frisbee by yourself, one would need to run faster than the frisbee to get to the right position in time and then photograph it. Unless the photographer is a marathon athlete, it seems physically impossible to me.
Nicholas Lindsay
There is something truly magical about a professional pet photographer like Nicholas Lindsay and the work he creates. First off, he shoots on film. But then there’s also how he interacts with the dogs. Here’s a quote from our interview with a tip on how he captures these beautiful dogs.
Initially I figured if I held a treat in my hand, I would have the dog’s undivided attention. The problem with this is that dogs can start to drool or become impatient, and neither reaction really lends itself to a nice portrait. The other problem is they focus solely on the treat and nothing else…What I found works best is to give the dog something curious or captivating to look at, so I bring them outside to watch cars drive by or squirrels climb trees. This distracts them from me and gives them a natural expression.
Alicja Zmysłowska
Dog and Puppy Photographer Alicja Zmysłowska really got back to her roots of going exploring with her dogs and others during the pandemic. She married her love of shelter dogs with professional pet photography and bore fruit. Check out our full interview with her.
Greg Murray
Pet Photographer Greg Muray makes us squeal with joy. What do we love the most about his work? Well, first off, there’s his book about dogs eating peanut butter he shot in studio. I mean, look at the lights he puts forward in the dogs’ eyes. Take a look at the whole series of striking images here.
Stuart Holroyd
Dog Photographer Stuart Holroyd worked in an effort to get dogs adopted using his Bay Tree Project. To do this, he showcased their unique personalities. Of course, people fell in love with the pups. The dogs were all adopted, thankfully. And we encourage you to check out the story here.
Christian Vieler
Christian Vieler shares a very funny moment from our interview with us on capturing his great portraits in the studio. Here it is:
I still remember one time when I tried to work with a Chihuahua puppy. I was sitting in front of the dog as usual, but he was so fidgety and all over the place that my nerves, despite my training and patience, were starting to wear thin. The dog was scampering around, and in the blink of an eye, he changed direction, rushed up to me, and crawled over my knees, down my pants, over my sweater, and up to my neck, only to lick my ears with his tiny tongue as if it were the greatest thing in the world.
Sophie Gamand
French photographer Sophie Gamand has done various studio dog portraits around pitbulls and other dogs. Typically her dog photogrpahy tends to go pretty viral too. Honestly, these images are so heart-melting they bring a tear to the eye. Go and enjoy them for yourself. Take a look here.
Cheryl Senter
Photographer Cheryl Senter is a photojournalist by trade. And when she wasn’t working, uses her camera to capture her relationship with her dogs. Here’s what she said in our interview with her:
I found it therapeutic documenting my dogs, focusing on something positive. I would post them up on my IG account and then quickly take them down. You see it isn’t cool of photojournalists to post animal pictures on IG and I wanted to be taken seriously also I discovered that peers/friends would not follow me because of the dog pictures.
Diego Salas
Diego Salasus used Photoshop to make these photos. Let’s get that straight. The pups were totally safe so there’s nothing to really worry about here. But the photos are really fun! Take a look here.
Ian Pettigrew
We’ve interviewed Ian Pettigrew several times as he’s done a variety of incredible photography projects. These were done via Photoshop. If you want to know exactly how he made each image, take a look here.
Craig Turner
In 2009 when Craig Turner moved to New Zealand, he rebranded his business to Furtography. And he’s been fortunate to receive over 100 awards thus far for his dog photography. That surely makes him one of the best pet photographers you can find! Here’s some advice from Craig that we got in our interview:
If you are reading this and animal/pet photography is something that you’d like to get into a little more, the number one piece of advice I can give is that you learn how to understand and read the body language of your subjects.
Rachel McKenna
Rachel McKenna has been fond of dogs since she was a child. Her New York dog photography was part of a long-term project, which she turned into a photobook. See the results here.
Kremer and Johnson
Photographers Kremer and Johnson find fantastic ways to shoot photos of dogs. And when it comes to ideas, they told us in their interview with us that they bounce ideas off of one another. Sometimes the impetus is boredom that gets them to create great photos!
What Other Dog Photographers are Great?
We’ve interviewed several amazing dog photographers and pet photographers over the years. But do you know of anyone with pet photography that have work that truly stands out? Maybe you’re already making cute dog photos? If so, why not send them our way? If we like it, we’ll share it with our readers.
Lead photo by Alicja Zmysłowska