Sarolta Bán and Re-Thinking Your Pet Photos on Canvas

One complaint, or perhaps better said observation, about pet photos is that they are a bit prosaic – and perhaps too common to make truly spectacular photos on canvas. Most pet photos look very much alike, because pets have certain behaviours that are more common than we’d like to believe, sometimes, and because most people approach photographing their pets in the same way. Online printing of photos, after all, is much like anything else: You get what you put into it.

Recently, a Hungarian photographer named Sarolta Bán has been taking photos of animals to support animal shelters and promote pet adoption – and the images are eye-opening. Take a look at her gallery at www.saroltaban.com, where her photos of actual shelter animals waiting for adoption not only blow away every other pet photo we’ve ever seen, but would make absolutely spectacular canvas art as well. After having a look, think about how this could inspire your own pet photography.

A New Approach to Animal Photos on Canvas

Now, Sarolta Bán is a professional and quite naturally talented, obviously, and her photos of these animals are heavily digitally manipulated. You may be thinking that you can barely take a photo without your thumb in the frame, much less compose one where your dog appears to be flying, or your cat dances with fairies.

That’s the wrong way to think about this, however. No, you may not have the skills or technology to replicate Bán’s technique or artistry. But you can use her approach as inspiration, and think about how to take better, more interesting photos of your pets for online printing.

The Pets Come Out at Night

One of the most striking aspects of Bán’s photos are how dreamy she makes them simply by not shooting in the daylight. Almost every pet photo we’ve ever seen has the animal in full daylight, usually engaged in an activity or basking in the sun. And these photos can be beautiful and striking as well.

But consider shifting your photography to the evening. Catching your pet exploring the backyard or creeping in a hunting pose in the moonlight can give you an awesome image to begin with, and night shots are often more forgiving to amateur photo manipulators because the shadows can hide all manner of mistakes.

Treat Them Like Kids

The next thing that jumps out about Bán’s photos are the oversize scale of the props. The giant ball of twine attracting a curious cat, the immense buried key being investigated by a determined hound – these are striking due to their scale. While you may not have the skill to insert a huge ball of twine believably, consider using some larger-scale props. In other words, treat your pet photography the way professionals treat photographing kids: By giving them something big and striking to play with, you may get some fascinating photographs that would be ideal for wall art.

In the end, these are just suggestions – your pets are your family and they all have their own individual personalities that will inform the photos on canvas you create with them. Inspiration from other sources takes us all in different directions. When you’ve created a photo of your pet that you think is worth hanging in your own personal gallery, click here and we’ll take care of the online printing!