Is your pet a huge part of your family? If so, your pet deserves to be in your scrapbook!

Scrapbook manufacturers have created some awesome pet themed products. There are so many great pet stickers, papers and embellishments available that it makes showcasing that adorable little part of your family easier than ever.

Your first step in showcasing a pet in your scrapbook is getting a good photo. Pets are much like children, very hard to photograph!

Here are some tips that I have gathered, which have helped me to get some nice photos of pets.

Tip 1: Have someone stand behind you with a favorite treat.

Tip 2: Use natural side lighting instead of your cameras flash. The flash scares most pets terribly!

Tip 3: Get down on your pets level instead of just taking photos from a standing position with your pet looking up.

Tip 4: Try to get a photo with good eye contact. Use the photo with the best eye contact as your focal point.

Tip 5: If your pet is scared of the camera, try using your zoom lens so that you can stay a good distance away...maybe he won't even notice you are photographing!

Tip 6: Get some close ups of small details of your pet: eyes, fur, feathers, paws, nose, tail, etc.

Consider creating a layout that documents your pets daily routine. Capture photos in both active and quiet times.

Photo Ideas:
Resting
Stretched Out
Playing
Favorite Toys
Eating
Food Bowl
Favorite Place
Sleeping Places
Quirks
Laying in the grass
Jumping

The photos are figured out so now for the fun part! Here are some ideas for creating those pet pages.

*Enlarge some of your good photos to use as the main element on a layout.

*Frame your subject with buttons, jewels or cardstock to lead the eye to your subject.

*Select a cardstock that matches your pet's coat or fur to really bring the layout together.

*Go shopping and find some of those amazing pet embellishments and papers!

Your family album will not be complete without that furry member of your family! Have fun creating your pet pages!