Our beagle Barney gets dressed to keep warm on a cold winter's day.

Many gentle pets seem to think they are people - and are sometimes fun to dress up.  While this subject matter is in the "family" category, I have included it to illustrate that the technical elements of photography can be applied to more informal settings too.  In this case, I selected a vertical format.  I got to the eye level of my subject to catch his facial expressions.  I got close to my subject to isolate it from other things in the room which might have introduced visual clutter.  When you are having a "hoot" with friends, family, or pets - make sure you take the time to compose a photograph - don't settle for just taking a snapshot.