50 Animal Photos That Deserve To Be In The Hall Of Awkward Fame

Previously, we chatted with some animal and pet photographers about funny animal expressions that they capture on a daily basis. During such an interesting conversation, we were first curious to know how they ended up following such a career path. 

“In my first year of business, I won a photography contest with a funny photo of a dog drinking from a water fountain. It made me realize that my pet photos were more creative than my traditional portrait photography,” shared pet photographer Karen Hoglund. “I felt I could capture animals' personalities better than humans, and their spontaneity intrigued me.”

Pet photographer Allison Shamrell told us that what pushed her to pursue this kind of photography was her love for dogs. “Photography is a medium that doesn't use words, and neither do dogs. Capturing their joy is such a great way to connect with these souls who are never with us for long enough... not to mention it's a LOT of fun!"

Meanwhile, vet tech and equine photographer Christina Lathrop combined her profession and love of photography to start an animal photography business. 

“I worked as a licensed vet tech for eight years, and photography has always been a passion of mine. When I took a break from the field to welcome my fourth child, I got a camera set as a Christmas gift. I started experimenting with pet photography while also running my retail store in Seattle. 

Unfortunately, the pandemic hit my business hard, and we had to close last year. A friend suggested I turn my photography hobby into a professional pursuit, so I took her advice, enrolled in some photography classes, and dove right in. My background as a vet tech and animal behaviorist really helps me connect with animals and capture great shots.”

Getting back to funny animals’ facial expressions, all photographers enthusiastically shared their favorite ones they were able to capture on camera. For Hoglund, it was the award-winning photo of doggy Vizsla drinking water (click here to see it).

“I knew that dog had been trained to drink out of fountains because his owner didn't want to carry water on their walks,” she explained.

“So, I started with the dog's normal behavior and made it funnier by making it look like he was doing it all by himself. Behind the scenes, I had my husband hold the water button; he was lying on the ground so that you couldn't see him. We also had the dog walk around the park first, so he'd be thirsty. His enthusiasm for getting a drink is what makes it funny!”

Shamrell’s favorite is head tilts, as she finds that the inquisitive, trying-to-understand-you expression priceless. Meanwhile, Lathrop fondly remembers a photo she took of a young gypsy colt that was an adorable ball of energy. 

“I am a hobby horse trainer and enthusiast, so I of course LOVE my equine shoots. So I just snapped away and got this super cute photo of him; his owner ended up loving it too,” she fondly shared.

Having captured so many animals and pets in her career, Lathrop has noticed that some of them have signature expressions that they tend to repeat often. 

“For instance, shepherds tend to give that classical head tilt when any sort of unknown noise arises, goldens are just a ball of love and will typically hold anything we ask in their mouths, and Bostons will give me an enthusiastic eye-popping expression. Horses are all unique, and the personalities really vary within individuals, but geldings (neutered males) tend to give more playful expressions.”

Whereas Hoglund finds that the facial expressions animals make depend more on their personalities than on their species or breeds.

"People assume golden retrievers or other breeds with dopey smiles would be the funniest, but all animals do something that makes them unique. Guinea pigs have wonderful deadpan expressions! Cats are often hilarious when they're being mischievous. It's not so much about the breed but about each animal's individual personality.”

To get the playful and derpy sides of animals to come out and play during photoshoots, Lathrop tries her best to just let the pets be themselves. 

“I just stand back and let them interact with their owners while I look through the lens. I always take a bag of what I refer to as "ear getters" to get their attention or their eyes to look at me when I want that. But it's really a lot like working with human toddlers, I just gotta go in with a lot of patience and the ability to change my plan for posing on a whim because animals don't always do what we want them to.”

Hoglund’s secret to derpy yet adorable photos is to ask the owners what tricks or funny things their pets do.

“That gives me a general plan of what might happen, but I stay open to what the animal actually does. An example is a photo I took of two golden retrievers in a convertible. Typically, people want their dogs to look at the camera. We got that shot, but then the pups saw other dogs walking in front of the car and looked forward. That was the humorous shot because it looked like they were driving!”