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I recently had an opportunity to show Program Host Carolyn Gracie how to take better photos of her four-legged friends. Believe it or not, some of these tips are universal for many different types of photography. Now we did use the awesome Canon T2i DSLR to shoot these pics (check out a special offer on Sunday!), but no worries, my tips are universal for any kind of camera. Feel free to watch the video above for full explanations. I have included a quick breakdown below, along with the picture examples. And if you start using my pointers with your pets and getting better shots, then go ahead and try it with kids too!

My tips:

• Get on the same eye level as your pet. You can see by the photo example that you aren’t towering over your pet. This method allows the family dog or cat to look more realistic in size.

• Get close to your pet. Use the zoom and frame your pet’s face in the viewfinder—known as framing tight—and set your camera to “close up” mode (usually indicated by a flower on the control knob). Next, focus on your pet’s nose. Doing this will make the face super sharp and the main focus while the rest becomes blurry.

• Finally, just sneeze! It’s amazing how a good, hearty sneeze from a photographer will get the attention of a pet. It may not work the first time, but I’ve had a lot of success with this technique.

So there you have it, this month’s VLOG, “Taking Better Pet Photos.” Oh, and give it up for Carolyn Gracie! She took the photos on my blog of her dog Jimmy, not me.

Keep snappin’ and follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/qvcdavejames and on Twitter at @davejamesonqvc.

—Dave James