Holiday gift idea

As we all have noticed the holidays are quickly approaching (much thanks to the coffee shops and their holiday flavors and the department stores with their decorations).

One of the best gifts is a portrait, because we all know a picture is worth a thousand words. Everyone loves a family portrait, and portraits of those beloved furry family member(s); especially for those pet lovers that you may have no clue what to get.

There are photographers throughout the Chicagoland area that can come to your home, local dog park (or you can even go to their studio) to have pictures taken of your canine (or even feline) friends.

We have some friends over at Petraits here in the city, and our counterpart Best Friends American Pet Motel (in Prairie View) is friends with Dee Barrett. Both might be getting a bit busy with the holidays coming up, so try contacting them to see if you can get an appointment!

There is always the option of taking the photos yourself if you are concerned about spending the money, or can't get an appointment with a photographer. It's also a little easier to keep it a surprise this way too, because you can do it on your own time and over the course of a few weeks. If you are unsure how or just want some extra tips on photographing your furry friend(s), you can always find tips online at places such as Dogtime.com with their 8 tips, or on eHow.com they have 15 videos you can watch full of fun tips and information. A lot of websites recommend using a SLR camera, but you can get wonderful shots using your camera whatever it may be, sometimes it may just mean a little more playing around with your camera and its settings, and sometimes its just about patience too.