How To Take a Good Dog Photo for My Custom Dad Hat

Taking a good photograph of your pet is the best place to start for customizing your Dog Dad Hat. A good starting photo is important because this helps our designers have an accurate representation of your pup to start with. With a good photo, we won't have to make as many editorial decisions. We won't have to fill in the gaps of a poorly lit or blurry photo because we can see your pup clearly.

Here are some tips that we've found work pretty well through research, practice as photographers, and our own trial-and-error taking hundreds (or is it thousands?) of photos of our own dogs.

Avoid blurry or gritty photos.

The more details we have, the better we can illustrate your pup! We understand if you might not have a good photo, especially if it's an old family dog or you just don't have a decent camera. We will work with what you have, but the more information you can give us, the more accurately we will be able to illustrate your pup.

For good results, use good lighting.

This helps the details of your pup shine, even if they have dark fur! Photos taken under daylight work best. Avoid direct sunlight to prevent overexposure—a bright day's photo taken with your pup completely in the shade tends to work well. Overcast days are also really great days for photography—it's like nature's soft lighting filter!

Take photos head on.

While we can do side views and angles, we’ve found that we get the best, most recognizable results when we have a full view of your pups face. This also embroiders better at small sizes.

Oh no, my dog won't sit still for photos!

If this sounds like you, be sure to check out our post on how to get your dog to sit still for photos!

Our promise to you is that we will do our best to make your photos work. If we foresee any difficulties with the photo you’ve sent us, we’ll reach out to you before we proceed. While this could sway your order, we think this is will result in a hat that you’re happy to wear every day.