Say cheese!

Pet photographer Liz Coleman shares her best tips for a little animal magic…

GO LOW Get down to the dog’s eye level. Most people make the mistake of standing over the dog and pointing their camera down, but actually, the eyes are the focal point.

DOGS NEED MORE BREAKS

THAN PEOPLE (Yes, even more than Naomi Campbell.) Shoot for a maximum of 20 minutes and then stop to give the dog time to relax, go to the loo and have a sniff around.

THE BEST TIME TO SHOOT IS EARLY IN THE MORNING OR

TOWARDS SUNSET The soft lighting looks great, and it’s a cooler time of the day, which is important, because dogs overheat easily. Go to parks – wild flowers make great backgrounds.

DOGS GENERALLY LOOK BETTER WITH THEIR MOUTHS

CLOSED This can be hard to achieve. Make animal noises while you’re photographing. It’ll make them concentrate and close their mouths,

and they’ll stare straight into the camera, where the noise is coming from. I find cat noises work best.

SO THAT THE DOG IS CALM AND COMFORTABLE, FAMILIARISE THEM WITH THE LOCATION BEFORE YOU START

SHOOTING Let them wander around and investigate, sniffing whatever they need to. Turn the lights on before they get in front of them, so they aren’t startled when you do.