How can I take photos of more than two pets, so the lighting is similar enough to use for one portrait?

Yes, since it is nearly impossible to get photos of two critters together without one of them moving, looking the wrong way, etc. It is best to have the same lighting conditions if you want them to look like they are sitting together naturally.

That’s what I did with this portrait of the two dogs.

How can I take photos of more than two pets, so the lighting is similar enough to use for one portrait?One of the challenges of combining pets in a portrait is that the lighting is usually different on each. It helps to have plenty of photos, since I’ll often need to use the pose from one photo,but the lighting from another.If you don’t have suitable photos already, my advice is to take them outside in bright shade(not direct sunlight) and just start shooting as many photos as you can from different angles.Most likely we’ll be able to pick suitable photos from the bunch (if you have a digital camera, this is pain-free, since taking a lot of photos doesn’t cost any more than taking one.).If you can get them to sit in the same spot, facing (roughly) the same direction with respect to the light (it's OK if they are looking different directions, as long as the light is coming from the same angle), we’ll be sure to have something to work with.