If you’re searching for free dog images to use for your pet business, then look no further.
I’m going to walk you through how to get your paws on the best free dog photos so that you create a dazzling first impression on a budget.
Even if you have booked a pet business photoshoot, you may need more images to complement your bespoke photographs on social media.
Discover how to choose photos that create a consistent theme for your brand so that when you show up online, you make a positive visual impact every single time.
Free stock dog images
There are several sites that you can visit to get free stock dog photos. Check out Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay, and Canva for some professional dog photography that looks on point.
I’d recommend scrolling a little further down the feed and experimenting with search terms to locate photos that aren’t as frequently used. Because accessing these free stock images is so quick and easy, there are an awful lot of businesses that use them.
You want your pet business brand to stand out, and so I suggest choosing less popular images. If you’ve seen it numerous times before, then keep scrolling!
Pros
- Free!
- Really high-quality images shot by professional photographers
- Quick to access
Cons
- Not unique to you, your business, or your brand
- Lots of other businesses will be using the same images
- Can create visual inconsistency, especially on an Instagram feed
- Doesn’t show your business or service
- Risk of using images that show dogs exhibiting fearful body language
Best Practice Tips
Choose images that follow a similar visual theme. For example, you will find dog images shot in a studio, outdoors, or ones that have a bit of a contemporary vibe.
Think about how you will use the images and the feeling you want to create and source photos of a consistent style.
Use stock images and graphics together on your blog and social media to make your content more visually appealing.
Stock photography comes with varying licenses. Make sure you are not breaching the license terms with your use of the images.
Swerve the cheese. You know those images that are just so popular, yet they have a real air of being posed and unnatural about them?
Pet brand ambassadors
Working with a pet brand ambassador is a little different from working with an influencer (or petfluencer!). Typically if you work with an influencer, it’s a fairly short-term relationship with either a single post or a multi-post agreement where you send them your product and they take a photo and post it on their social media.
A brand ambassador is intended to be a longer-term relationship, and usually, you will want someone who isn’t working with multiple competing brands simultaneously.
Pros
- Can source images of your products in return for distributing free or discounted product
- Allows you to tap into the ambassador’s audience
- Saves you time of taking photos yourself
Cons
- You need to be very specific with your expectations to get images that work
- Can be difficult to connect with ambassadors that have a big following AND good photography skills when you’re starting out
- Unless you land yourself a pro photographer, the photos won’t be high enough quality to use in print or at the point of purchase
Best Practice Tips
When appointing a brand ambassador, look at their engagement rate as well as their following. For example, choosing to work with someone who has 20% of their 1000 followers engaged is much better than someone who has 1% of their 10,000 followers engaged.
Create a contract that sets out clear written terms of what they will receive from you and specifically what you expect in return from them.
Use these images as part of your social media marketing to build brand awareness. They’re great to show your product in action with a pet, but you need higher-quality images to create desire and conversion.
Taking your own photos
When you take your own photos, you can take as many as you need, and you can completely control the quality and composition of the images.
Before you work with a professional photographer, you would create a shot list. This is a breakdown of all the images you need for social media, your website, and any graphics or printed materials you want to create for your marketing.
I suggest doing the same if you’re taking the photos yourself and setting aside some time to shoot them in blocks, rather than taking them as and when you need them.
Download my free guide to taking stunning images for your pet business on your phone here.
Pros
- Completely free
- You can control what is in the photos – take as many detail or action shots as you need.
Cons
- Takes a lot of time
- You may not get the images you want due to a lack of equipment and skills
- You can’t be in the photos – the most engaging content and easiest way to build trust is to include yourself in your marketing.
Best Practice Tips
Set up a space in your house next to a window and snap as many shots as you can in one session. Taking a batch of images in one sitting will help you to create consistency in your images. It also means you have a bank of images ready and waiting to be shared.
If you’re taking photos of products, then consider investing in a lightbox for smaller products. You want to have at least one image of each product with no distractions from the product itself. Shoot on a bright background with your product taking centre stage.
For any images of dogs or other animals, get down on their level for photos that capture your pet in all their glory.
If investing in professional photography for your pet business is a little out of budget right now, I hope that these top tips will help you find free dog images that give an excellent first impression.
Want to work with a pro pet photographer?
While choosing to work with a professional dog photographer will involve paying someone a fee to create images for you, there are many benefits, and when you work with someone who has good marketing skills too, you are likely to create a set of images that you use again and again.
Pros
- Control exactly what is in the photos and what they say about your business
- The photos will be completely personal to your brand and what you do
- None of your competitors can use the images
- When working with a dog expert, you can sure you’ll end up with images where the dogs are happy and relaxed
- You can be in the photos and create a sense of trust with your prospective clients
- Saves you time of taking photos yourself
- Tap in to expert advice on how to best use the images
Cons
- Costs money