10 inspiring pet photographers to follow online

pet photographers
(Image credit: Helena Lopes)

Instagram was pretty much invented for people to post pictures of their cats, but there are some accounts which are truly inspirational and far more worthy of a follow than others. 

If you can’t have a good day without seeing at least one picture of a furry friend, then we’ve got just the thing for you here in this list. We’ve picked 10 of our favourite pet photographers with superb Instagram accounts for you to have a look at. 

All of the accounts here are by professional pet photographers who make at least some of their living from photographing the animal kingdom (aka living the dream). They’ll really show you how it’s done, the angles and compositions that work, and even the expressions that really garner the most attention.

As a bonus, if you’re thinking of taking up pet photography - whether for your own special friend, or professionally - all of these accounts will give you so much inspiration that you’ll never be short of an idea or two. 

You can find lots more inspiration by searching for and following specific hashtags, we find #petphotographer, #petphotography, #dogphotography and #catphotography to be good all rounders, but if you are interested in specific breeds or types of animal, it’s worth doing a hashtag search for those too.

1. Jason Allison 

https://www.instagram.com/jayallisonphoto/ 

Based in Durham, UK, Jason Allison is an award-winning pet photographer, with his most recent award being the Guild of Photographers Pet Photographer of the Year. Follow his feed for adorable shots of his most recent clients - pretty much exclusively dogs.

2. Gerrard Gethings 

https://www.instagram.com/gezgethings/

This quirky photographer has gained notoriety for his “Do You Look Like Your Dog?” And “Do You Look Like Your Cat?” series, in which he matches quirky dogs and cats with equally quirky humans. Follow for shots from the series, as well as cute snaps of his own border terrier, Baxter.

These two. #doyoulooklikeyourdog Gerrard Gethings

A photo posted by @gezgethings on Sep 29, 2020 at 6:19am PDT

3. Elke Vogelsang 

https://www.instagram.com/wieselblitz/

This well-known and well-respected pet photographer has grown a huge following over the years for her distinctive style. She actually has two accounts, one for dogs (@wieselblitz) and one for cats (@wieselcats). Expect highly animated animals captured with tonnes of energy to brighten your day.

4. The Dogist 

https://www.instagram.com/thedogist/

Are you even a proper dog-lover if you’re not following The Dogist? One of the most notorious dog accounts on Instagram, photographer Elias Weiss Friedman’s beautiful work has been turned into best-selling books and calendars. The Dogist finds dogs while Friedman is out and about, with each post giving you a little bio of their life. Simply beautiful.

5. Breath of Wild Air 

https://www.instagram.com/breathofwildair/

If gorgeous tones, beautifully blurred backgrounds and gorgeously captured dogs are your things, then this is one account to follow right now. Each image truly is a thing of beauty and tells the story of Loki, Journey and their owner and pet photographer Emily Abrahams.

6. Bellasoka_Photography 

https://www.instagram.com/bellasoka_photography/

Munich based photographer, Karoline Metz, has named her dog photography business after her two adopted dogs. In this account however, she posts pictures of all her recent clients spanning across a huge number of breeds and characters. Each one is beautifully captured and full of charm.

7. Learn Pet Photography 

https://www.instagram.com/learnpetphotography/ 

If you want to up your own pet photography game, this is a great account to follow. Run by professional photographer Charlotte Reeves, the name of the account is pretty self-explanatory. There’s lots of different types of tips and tricks, as well as examples of some of the effects you could achieve yourself.

💡 Today’s Dogs in Action Tip: Capture candids to improve your skills 💡⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ One of the best ways of improving your dogs in action photography skills, is to head to a dog beach or dog park. Capturing candid shots of dogs running around enjoying themselves is fun, and productive! 🐕⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Without the pressure of capturing that “money shot” you need for a client, you can explore and discover the best settings to use, find the best angles and lighting, and really work hard to get sharp, well-focused shots of dogs running around randomly - it really is a great challenge and the best way to improve your skills! 🏅⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 🐶 Moose + Steve⁣⁣⁣ 🌏 Bribie Island, Australia⁣⁣⁣ 📷 @charlottereevesphotography⁣⁣⁣ ⚙️ Canon EOS 1D X Mark II, Canon EF 70-200mm ƒ/2.8L IS II @ 150mm, ISO 640, 1/1600 sec, ƒ/3.5⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Make sure to grab my newly launched premium video to help you easily nail your action shots - 10 Tips for Awesome Action Photos of Dogs 📷 🐶⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ 🔗 Link in bio for launch special - just $49 until June 30, 2020!⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⭐️ What's included:⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ● 42 minute video presented by Charlotte Reeves, with real-life example images⁣⁣⁣ ● Handy downloadable Cheat Sheet to take with you on shoots⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⭐️ The 10 detailed tips cover:⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ● Understanding how your camera’s autofocus system works⁣⁣⁣ ● How to identify and work with the best light⁣⁣⁣ ● What to look for in a location⁣⁣⁣ ● How to set up the action for success⁣⁣⁣ ● Which lenses are best for different types of action⁣⁣⁣ ● An in-depth look at the most crucial setting - shutter speed⁣⁣⁣ ● Why your shooting position and technique is so important⁣⁣⁣ ● A deep dive into focusing settings and techniques⁣⁣⁣ ● How to make your practice more productive and iron out bugs in your technique⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ #petphotography #dogphotography #learnpetphotography #petphotographytips #dogphotographytips #dogsinaction #professionaldogphotography #actionphotography #petsinaction #actionphoto #mongreldog #mongreldogsofinstagram #boxerdogsofinstagram #boxerdogs #boxerdog #mixedbreedsofinstagram Learn Pet Photography

A photo posted by @learnpetphotography on Jun 26, 2020 at 3:00am PDT

8. Herbie @ NL 

https://www.instagram.com/herbienl/ 

Professional cat photographers are a little harder to find on Instagram than dog photographers - probably because it’s certainly a tricky task to get pets to pose for anybody. However, one account we like is Herbie @ NL, a sweet ginger cat photographed by professional photographer Gabriella Oravecz. 

9. Carli Davidson 

https://www.instagram.com/carli_davidson/ 

Very well-known for her “Shake” series of - you guessed it - dogs and puppies shaking, Carli’s dog photography is full of energy and creative vision. She also photographs other types of animals, both domestic and wild, so she’s well worth a follow for animal lovers of all kinds.

Sweet dreams y’all. Carli Davidson

A photo posted by @carli_davidson on Sep 9, 2018 at 10:49pm PDT

10. Shaina Fishman 

https://www.instagram.com/shainafishman/

A commercial photographer based in New York City, Shaina mostly photographs cats and dogs, but occasionally another type of pet (such as a rat) pops up. Her images are bright, light, and fun and are pretty much guaranteed to brighten up your feed.

It’s Monday. Back to the rat race. #vroomvroom #ratrace #moped #photoshop Shaina Fishman

A photo posted by @shainafishman on Oct 5, 2020 at 1:21pm PDT

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Amy Davies

Amy Davies is a freelance writer and photographer with over 15 years experience. She has a degree in journalism from Cardiff University and has written about a huge variety of topics over the years. These days she mostly specialises in technology and pets, writing across a number of different titles including TechRadar, Stuff, Expert Reviews, T3, Digital Camera World, and of course PetsRadar. She lives in Cardiff with her dog, Lola, a rescue miniature dachshund.