Photos to take before your pet dies
If you know roughly how much time is left, taking photos can feel somewhere between morbid and impossible. It isn't morbid. It's the one thing almost every owner says afterwards they wish they'd done more of. Here is what to actually take.
Take far more than feels natural
There's no such thing as too many. Most of the photos you have are the same photo: across the room, standing up, looking at the camera. Take a few every day, in whatever they're already doing. You don't have to look at them yet.
The shot list
Eight shots, roughly in the order people say they miss them.
Get in the photo yourself
Almost every photo you own is of them alone, because you were holding the phone. Afterwards, the ones of the two of you are the ones that matter most. Hand your phone to someone, or prop it on a mug and use the timer. It doesn't need to be a good photo.
Take video, with the sound on
Record the sigh as they settle, the tags down the hallway, their head coming up when you say their name. Fifteen seconds each is plenty. Record yourself talking to them too, in the voice you actually use.
And write a few lines
The small specifics fade first: the thing they did every time you picked up your keys, the nickname that made no sense. A few sentences in your notes app. That, and these photos, are all a tribute needs when you're ready, whenever that is.
Common questions
How many photos should I be taking?
More than feels reasonable. For a tribute, ten to fifteen is the sweet spot - but that's ten to fifteen chosen from hundreds, so take hundreds. Nobody has ever regretted the extra ones.
Is the list different for a dog and a cat?
Barely. A dog's paws, muzzle and collar are the shots people miss; for a cat it's the paw pads, the whiskers, the tail, and the exact windowsill or lap they claimed. The two that matter most are the same either way: get in the photo with them, and take video with the sound on.
Should I book a professional photo session?
Some people do, and there are photographers who specialise in exactly this. It's lovely if you have the money and the energy. It is not necessary, and a rushed session can eat a day you'd rather spend on the floor with them. Phone photos taken over a quiet week usually capture more of who they were.
Can I include video clips, not just photos?
Yes, and they're worth including - a few seconds of them moving, or of their name being called, changes the whole thing.
Do you change or generate images of my pet?
No. We use the photos you send, as they are - no generated faces, nothing added, nothing invented. An approximation of a face you loved is the one thing nobody wants.