Props for pet pictures

Props must be harmless and serve a purpose

PROPERLY DONE, PROPS CAN ADD HUMOR AND INTEREST

You can inject humor and interest in a picture of your pet through the use of props. The key is to not overdo it. Simplicity seems to work best. The more elaborate a scene you attempt to stage, the more likely your picture's impact will be lost. A loving pet will usually put up with a lot and allow you to dress him or her up or plunk him in a container without complaint and probably with more patience than many humans. But the pet's well-being and comfort must come first. There is no picture worth causing discomfort or pain to an animal.

The use of props in a pet picture calls for planning and leaves little room for spontaneity, unless of course, the prop is one that will cause the animal some surprise and then you want to have your camera ready for the moment the surprise is revealed to catch your pet's reaction.

WHAT KINDS OF PROPS CAN YOU USE?

Just about anything that won't endanger your pet and that creates image appeal. A simple pair of scissors worked well in the close-up of the cat above. (Notice how relaxed the cat appears. Animals will show any stress or tension they feel when the picture is being taken, and you are better off to postpone the shoot than to take a picture of an uptight animal.)

Balancing eyeglasses on a dog's snout will produce a similar picture, but you will probably have to shoot fast before your canine companion shakes them off. The same goes for a hat unless it is attached with a ribbon or a string.

Dogs seem to have more tolerance for their masters' foibles than do cats, and they will allow you to dress them up without too much protest. (Who was it who said, "Dogs have owners; cats have staff."?) Clothing a dog like this for a picture doesn't really make a lot of sense, but knowing that it was dressed by a bunch of six-year-olds playing together in the next room does.

Keep in mind that your picture will look better if you get down to the animal's level when you shoot it, and be sure you are close enough to fill the frame.