#1 My Dog Really Loves Bubbles
Image credits: MarvelousFizz
#2 Honeybun’s Derp Face After The Dog Park
This was after her first ever dog park visit. Before I adopted her, she had never run in her life. She was confined to a cage her entire life of 1 year and 2 months as a “breeding investment”.
Image credits: Gunsndope
#3 There Are Two Types Of Horses
Image credits: CapSteveRogers
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!"
#4 I Took My Puppy To Work Last Week. He Loved It
He definitely distracted people more than expected - but I think he was also a great for morale. Fortunately our HR dept is awesome and approved the visit on the condition that they got to meet him.
Image credits: apocalypse910
#5 In Front Of Me In Line To Sign In At A Vet Office
Image credits: vtsforza
#6 Firefox Has Encountered A Problem With Windows
Image credits: caseorganic
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.”
#7 Took A Shot Of This Guy Yesterday, Guess He Wasn't Too Happy About It
Image credits: 2383galjeb
#8 Horse With The Spirit Of Eddie Murphy's Donkey In Shrek
Image credits: fightmilk22
#9 Minerva Doing Her Best Spooky Face
Her full name is Minerva the Relentless, and her older sister is Atwater the Destroyer.
Image credits: DavidRandom
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!”
#10 King Of The Side Eye
Image credits: douglas_thedinkydaxy
#11 We Dug Her A Little Hole, And Now It’s Her Hole She Hides In To Pounce At Us From And This Is Her Face While She Does It
Literally does the same thing on flat ground thinking we can’t see her haha.
Image credits: larnni
#12 My Ferret's Mugshot
Image credits: interiorcrocodemon
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.
#13 My Cat Is Very Photogenic
Image credits: reddit.com
#14 What Otter Mommy Does When Their Babies Refuse To Go School
Corrected: that wasn't mommy. It was another member of the family.
Image credits: c.k.teo Photojournal
#15 Lilith Is On Cage Rest For A Little While And Peach Isn't Taking It Very Well
Lilith had her hormone implant the other day so this is just a precautionary measure to make sure she doesn't do too much to disturb the wound while it heals! Won't be long before she's out causing chaos again.
Image credits: ParrotLad
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.”
#16 Rescued As A Sickly Fish In May 2020 vs. Present. Still A Huge Derp. Her Name Is Harriet
In the first picture she had pretty bad ammonia burns. And she was 4 months old but now, she almost 2 years old.
Image credits: Vegetable_Schedule_2
#17 "The Same Thing We Do Every Night Pinky"
Image credits: robswampthing
#18 Oreo Speedwagon Heard Me Open A Cheese Wrapper While He Was Outside
Image credits: reddit.com
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.”
#19 It’s Just Her Face. She’s The Sweetest Dog Ever. But She Constantly Looks Disappointed In Us
Husky mix of mysteries. Husband adopted her from a shelter 9 years ago. She’s atypical for a husky. She’s more like a cat.... obviously.
Image credits: GingerWife2017
#20 Awwww Yyyaassss Errppllleesss
Image credits: pootsytoots
#21 This Photo Of Sophie Fits Here Perfectly
Sometimes I look at her and wonder if she's real tbh.
Image credits: Jackied96
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.”
#22 Somebody Was Friendly Enough To Smile For The Camera
She didn't SOUND very friendly, but look at that smile!
Image credits: RuneFell
#23 Some Owls Sleep Face Down Because Their Heads Are Too Heavy
Image credits: Medicina
#24 My Ridiculously Photogenic Fat Tail Gecko
Know there’s probably some people that aren’t “reptile lovers” but I always thought my little gecko looks like a muppet.
Image credits: Special_Profession69
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!”
#25 When You Take That First Bite Of Your Great Aunt's Fruit Cake
Image credits: juniperfoxx
#26 Always One Cheeky One
Image credits: quirkyherd
#27 Learning To Floss
Image credits: NBD2016
#28 I'm Not Sure What I Did, But I'm Sorry
Image credits: Gussaroo
#29 This Is My Boy Bilbo Not Knowing What’s Going On Ever
He’s Lamancha/Nigerian mix!
Image credits: reddit.com
#30 Derpy Bunny
Image credits: vinkulelu
#31 Someone Was Screaming Outside Our Apartment, Ben Was Very Concerned
Image credits: elliepetunia
#32 Such A Cutie
Image credits: virgoprincxss
#33 Super Happy Flying Turtle
Image credits: gur4red
#34 "So I Pretended To Throw A Ball And Caught The Exact Moment My Dog Realised I Had Betrayed Him"
Image credits: rockxroyalty
#35 Every Day Is Better With A Little Alpaca In It
Mr Burns alien version.
Image credits: Boojibs
#36 Tigers With Pumpkins Is Always A Good Time
Image credits: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
#37 Doggo Looks Like Sid From Ice Age
Image credits: icant-chooseone
#38 His Derpy Smile This Morning
His name is Summit.
Image credits: Peircen20
#39 Local Animal Shelter Posted This Photo And I Immediately Applied To Adopt Her. I’ve Had Her For Two Months
She still does this on windows.
Image credits: PuzzleheadedOccasion
#40 My Gecko Is More Photogenic Than Me
Image credits: lowunn
#41 Her First Summer And Warm Weather Ride With The Windows Down
Image credits: BDayCakes
#42 Omg
Image credits: dankw33b
#43 Taken From My Parents’ Kitchen Window. They Don’t Have Any Cats
This wouldn’t be the first time that cats have adopted them.
Image credits: AllHanceOnDeck
#44 When It Comes To His Lips, My Friend’s Guinea Pig Seriously Won The Genetic Lottery
He was born this fabulous!
Image credits: ibuprofencompactor
#45 Rexie: I Don't Always Make Presents For My Hooman, But When I Do They're Smelly
Image credits: rexiecat
#46 I’ve Been Using Pics Of My Fave Dog At My Job As Reaction Images For A Whole Year... The Amount Of Emotion His Face Can Convey Is Endless
I don’t work on the days he comes in anymore and I go weeks without seeing him… I miss him so much and have videos of my reunions with him. Next time I see him I will absolutely give him extra love!!!
Image credits: zoebennetthanes
#47 Annie Presses Her Face Against The Door When I Come Home
Absolutely nothing but clown music in her head but she’s sweet.
Image credits: sassenachlawyer
#48 She Is Beauty, She Is Grace
This is my cat and she's a lunatic :) I took about 50 pictures this afternoon and somehow I don't think I'm ever going to top this one.
Image credits: 888temeraire888
#49 Face Of Pure Pleasure
Image credits: julie1335
#50 Smile Pretty For The Camera
Image credits: AhMoonBeam
