Taking beautiful portraits of your pets at home is not as difficult as it may seem! While we’re huge advocates for hiring professional photographers to create heirloom photos of your family, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to create quick and beautiful images of your pets from the comfort of your own home! Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

• Home studio lighting kit. We use two soft boxes to light our pups. Shop here for similar kits
• Seamless paper backdrop in 26” for a single, small to medium pet or 53” width for a larger pet or multiple pets. For everyday photos, we recommend purchasing a neutral color. Our favorite - “bone” from Savage but don’t be afraid to go with a bold color for a more dramatic look!
• Background stand to hold up your paper backdrop
• Favorite toys and a few treats to keep your pet’s attention!

To get your home studio setup, first assemble all of your lights and backdrop stand. Place your seamless paper roll on the backdrop stand and pull the paper down far enough to drape across to the floor, creating a soft curve. For extra security, tape the end of the paper to the floor using painter’s tape or masking tape (just make sure it’s not a super strong tape that can damage your flooring). Place your softbox lights on either side of the seamless paper and angle the lights so they’re facing your subject but not creating any harsh shadows. Play with how close your lights are to your subject so that the lighting is brightening your subject but not so bright that you’re over-exposing your image. We would love to hear from you as you take photos of your pets or if you get a backdrop! Share comments below or tag us on instagram at @theemeraldhound!