How to Pose and Photograph Shy, Difficult, or Anxious Pets

There’s an adage in show business: Don’t work with animals or children. This can also be true in photography – when it comes to photographing pets, I find it can be a challenge.

I can’t ask a dog to look at the camera or get a cat to smile for me. They often won’t stay still in one place either.

If a pet is shy or anxious, this only compounds the problem further.

Creating a safe and comfortable environment, alongside building trust and rapport, are arguably the two key elements for success. If you can get a pet to connect with you and feel safe within their environment, you stand a chance of getting the shots you’re looking for.

Essentially, you’ll need patience and a willingness to go with the flow as events unfold. While you can maintain a level of control, ultimately, the pet will be calling the shots – no pun intended.

With this in mind, let’s look at some strategies and ideas on how to pose and photograph shy, difficult, or anxious pets.

Creating a Safe and Comfortable Environment

Location is crucial. My best advice, learned through experience, is to shoot in the pet’s home if you can.

By prioritizing the pet’s own environment, you stand a good chance of putting them at ease. The more familiar the smells, sounds, and space, the less stressed the pet is going to be.

I like to observe for a while, to try and identify the pet’s safety spots within the space.

It might be that they gravitate under a table or to a particular rug. Setting up close to these places and shooting towards the favored spot is going to give you a good chance of getting decent shots.

I always make sure I’m not wearing any strong scents and that I speak with a quiet and calm tone of voice. It’s all about minimizing intrusion; sounds and smells are high on the list of things that can make a pet feel uneasy.

Likewise, posture matters, and I like to try to stay low, especially when meeting a pet initially. If I’m looming large over them, they are sure to feel anxious and are less likely to be a willing participant in the shoot.

Building Trust

Gaining trust and building rapport with the pet you’re about to photograph is going to give you the best chance of success. Prior to shooting, I have a few tricks that I like to employ for gaining a pet’s trust.

Upon arriving at the location, I actively ignore the pet for 10 to 15 minutes. By doing this, I’m allowing them to approach me in their own time and on their own terms, realizing I’m no threat.

I always remain in non-threatening postures by staying low to the ground, sitting, or lying on the floor. For a shy or anxious pet, an unfamiliar person looming over them is read as predatory behavior, which will cause them to withdraw and hide.

When it comes to the camera, letting them investigate it by sniffing is good for desensitizing them.

I also like to click the shutter a few times to get them used to the sound. You can give treats at the point of clicking the shutter, and this will allow them to associate the sound with a reward, making them more likely to be curious during the actual shoot.

If you’re new to this genre, you might like to check out our beginner’s guide to snapping the perfect pet portrait.

9 Setup Ideas for Difficult Pets

Now that we’ve looked at the key pre-shoot strategies, let’s move on to the setup ideas I like to use when doing pet photoshoots.

1. The Hiding Shot

For the hiding shot, the idea is that the pet is partially obscured by a familiar object. This might be a favorite blanket, for example.

Start by laying the blanket over them, playing with the pet to get them used to it. This is a great way to get the pet to engage if they’re shy.

Patience is key, and you’ll need to wait for the right moment. In terms of setting the camera up, I like to kneel or lie down on my front and have the camera set to shoot in burst mode, taking multiple shots as the pet peeps out.

Framing-wise, it’s best to come in close, focusing predominantly on the face and paws if visible. With a bit of luck, you’ll capture a candid moment that shows a shy but playful quality.

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2. The Anchor

This is probably the easiest to pull off, but it will mean the owner is partially in the shot. It’s good because the owner can take the lead and put their pet at ease.

It’s best to have the owner seated with the animal on their lap in a natural, comfortable position they’re used to. This is often where they will feel safest and is likely to create a great photo.

You should crop tightly with the frame to show the pet’s face resting on an arm, hand, or leg relatively close-up. The owner is literally functioning as the anchor of safety, which is useful for anxious pets.

This kind of setup is great for conveying the emotional connection between owner and pet. It’s all about trust, touch, and expression.

3. The Lookout

This is a classic pose, where the pet is near a window looking out. They may look as though they’re on guard or simply just being nosey, seeing who might be around.

Here we’re using their natural curiosity to our advantage, creating a distraction, which hopefully leads to a good, candid shot.

Because this pose is at a window, you can take advantage of the natural light, capturing them in silhouette or in profile view.

In terms of setting up the frame, I like to be fairly close in to try and capture their expression, but a wider shot works just as well, and it’s ultimately down to personal preference.

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4. High Ground Safety

This setup applies mainly to cats, but will also work with smaller dogs. Because animals feel safer when they’re high up, looking down, this is a good option for the more nervous pet, and they’re more likely to engage with you and the camera in this scenario.

The aim is to have the pet on a raised piece of furniture, such as the back of a sofa or on top of a cat tree, while you are down below, kneeling or standing, just below their eye level.

The resulting shot can make the pet appear dominant and larger-than-life, or it can give them a look of calm observation, making for a relaxed photo.

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5. Treat Trail

Using treats as a way of manipulating the actions and movement of a pet can be a very good approach, giving you some great photo opportunities.

The principle is simple but effective and gives you, as a photographer, a level of control and direction over the shoot.

It can be as straightforward as filling a treat toy and letting them play with it, or else, hiding treats just out of shot for the pet to sniff out and find.

Getting in close with the camera and framing the face, nose, and eyes will give you a great finished shot that candidly conveys the activity and concentration without any eye contact.

The resulting photo gives the impression of a pet “caught in the act” in a charming way.

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6. Relaxed and Grounded

Though not always achievable with anxious pets, if you do manage to build a good enough rapport and they start to relax, you may be able to take a shot of them on a favorite rug, in a side-lying pose.

This does depend on being patient and may take some time.

I like to get right down to their level in this situation, giving the sense that the camera is inside their world. It’s a fantastic shot if you can manage to get it.

7. Walking By

The first of our outdoor pet action shots is one for the owner and their dog. You’ll want to get them to walk the dog towards or past you, either head-on or crossing your position.

I set my camera’s shutter speed to quite a fast setting, something like 1/400th of a second, maybe faster, and I anticipate the focus point. It’s then a case of getting down low and taking burst shots in continuous shooting mode.

When I do this, I’m aiming for a candid head-on shot or side profile, and I’m anticipating the natural movement rather than trying to direct it in any way.

You can optionally include the owner or crop them out to focus only on the dog, and this is something that can be discussed at the time.

8. Simple Touch

For particularly shy and anxious pets, I find a good owner-pet shot can be achieved by having the owner touch or hold the animal’s face. This helps to make the pet feel safe and also adds an element of control and direction to the photo.

This is a great pose setup to communicate the bond between a pet and its owner. By deliberately taking control in this way, you can effectively disguise the fact that the pet is anxious and wouldn’t necessarily be sitting for you otherwise.

From a technical perspective, I like to choose one of two options: I’ll either decide to come in tight with the framing, showing only the face of the pet and the hand, or else I’ll choose a wider shot that fully shows both the pet and the owner.

This is something that I discuss beforehand and is very much dependent on whether the owner prefers to be in or out of the final shot.

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9. The Transition or Pause Shot

Another pose idea that’s somewhat similar to the Lookout or Walking By shots is the pausing transition shot.

For this setup, I’m waiting for the pet to do that thing where they come into a room and briefly pause as though they’re deciding on where to go next.

This is something that pets naturally do if you watch them long enough. It may be that they pause in a doorway before fully entering the room. The idea is that I capture the pensive look that’s seen during that brief moment before they move to their favorite spot on the couch or by the fire.

Again, it’s all about patience and anticipation. I will talk to the owner about where the pet is likely to pause and what their route in and out of the room typically is. I’ll then set my camera up in anticipation of the pause position.

I’ll go for a really fast shutter speed, with continuous shooting mode and a framing that anticipates a full-frame final shot of the pet, but ensuring that the animal fills the frame as much as possible.

I like to get down on their level and often kneel or sit on the floor.

On Lighting

When it comes to photographing pets, and more specifically, shy or anxious ones, I aim for natural light every time. The less equipment that looms over their space, the better.

I’m aiming to capture natural movement in a natural environment with the least amount of staging or artifice.

Soft, diffused natural light is best, but you do have to be flexible. Natural light, coupled with animals that won’t pose in the exact position you need, is a challenging combination. Patience and anticipation are key.

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Final Thoughts

Pets are wonderful additions to any family, but they grow fast, and we outlive them. Capturing precious, fleeting moments of our pets in their safe environment is something to be cherished.

With these tips and ideas, you’ll be able to capture and preserve unique portraits of pets, with or without their owners, reflecting the unique nature and bond between animal, human, and home.