1. Fill the Frame: The key is to "make the pet the picture" and not have a lot of extra space around it. Get close or zoom in, but fill the center of the frame with your pet. You can even consider shooting a close of up of just the head and shoulders.

2. Get Down! The camera should be as close as you can get to the level of your pets head. Keep in mind that you're taking a portrait, not a snapshot. Go to your pet and capture them in their environment, rather than make them come to you. There's a lovable personality behind that cold nose, and no one knows it better than you! Try to capture it.

3. Light: Natural light, either outside or by a window, produces the best results and the truest colors. Direct sunlight can wash out the colors and exaggerate the contrast, so shade or a cloudy day work best. An optional trick is to shoot from about 6ft with fill flash or flash. Just try to be aware of the light and how it affects the picture. Evening or morning light can be warmer and more dramatic than mid-day light and dappled sun light through trees can also create nice lighting effects as in the portrait of the Cassie made from the photo above.

4. Graduate School: If you follow the tips above you should get better photos that can be used to make a really nice portrait. But here's a bonus tip. Be aware of the background. The portraits on this web site all show the dog in a natural setting which I think is more interesting and engaging, and makes for a more complete picture than a severed head floating on a blank background. A background that's not too visually "busy" works best, like a shaded area, a wall, a field of grass, or sky, all make good backgrounds. One option you can try, if your camera and your photographic skills are advanced enough, is to set the f/stop for a short depth of field, which means that your subject will be in focus and the background will be intentionally out of focus.