The competition is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered.

We recently asked you to enter our pet photo competition. The competition is being judged by award-winning UK pet photographer Paul Walker, and the winners will be announced shortly.

Here are Paul’s five top tips to help you get the most out of your pet photography session:

1. For closer portraits, pick a camera angle that really shows the nice catchlights in the eyes of the pet. These will add personality to the pet and showcase its character more. If you are unsure, observe the pet and notice how the eyes seem better illuminated and have more sparkle from different angles.
2. Think of the wider picture - what else could you include in the image, apart from the pet, to really add more narrative to it? It could be a section of the pet's favourite room in the house, an interaction with their favourite toy, or a friendly greeting to one of the relatives. Pet pictures can really extend beyond the pet just sitting or standing with a neutral background behind them.
3. It's great to see a variety of different moments in a pet's life - whether they’re running, sitting, standing, swimming, jumping, playing, or sleeping. The photo opportunities are endless, so think outside the box!
4. Try and think of the ideal picture you want to take and see if you can make this happen, rather than relying on the pet and following it around endlessly in the hope that one of your photographs will be a success. Remember, you can always try to influence the scene by methods of persuasion - treats, noises and playtime all have their uses in pet photography.
5. Don't be afraid to experiment with your camera. If you are new to photography and still learning, try the sport or action modes, as well as taking close-up images if it is safe to do so. Experiment with your angles, viewpoints and focus points, and remember to have fun. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.
1. For closer portraits, pick a camera angle that really shows the nice catchlights in the eyes of the pet. These will add personality to the pet and showcase its character more. If you are unsure, observe the pet and notice how the eyes seem better illuminated and have more sparkle from different angles.
2. Think of the wider picture - what else could you include in the image, apart from the pet, to really add more narrative to it? It could be a section of the pet's favourite room in the house, an interaction with their favourite toy, or a friendly greeting to one of the relatives. Pet pictures can really extend beyond the pet just sitting or standing with a neutral background behind them.
3. It's great to see a variety of different moments in a pet's life - whether they’re running, sitting, standing, swimming, jumping, playing, or sleeping. The photo opportunities are endless, so think outside the box!
4. Try and think of the ideal picture you want to take and see if you can make this happen, rather than relying on the pet and following it around endlessly in the hope that one of your photographs will be a success. Remember, you can always try to influence the scene by methods of persuasion - treats, noises and playtime all have their uses in pet photography.
5. Don't be afraid to experiment with your camera. If you are new to photography and still learning, try the sport or action modes, as well as taking close-up images if it is safe to do so. Experiment with your angles, viewpoints and focus points, and remember to have fun. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.

Remember that happy and healthy pets make the best photo subjects. We offer a range of useful pet guides, including information on pet health and wellbeing, pet insurance basics, rehoming a dog, and understanding your cat's behaviours.

For more handy tips and information on taking the best pet photos, have a look at Paul Walker’s blog.

Thanks for taking part.

Terms and conditions:

1. To enter the prize draw, entrants must submit their favourite pet photo, along with a valid email address.
2. Sainsbury's Bank will accept entries for this prize draw from 00.00 on 1 September 2015 and will not accept entries sooner than this time. Sainsbury's Bank will close the prize draw at 00.00 on 29 September 2015.
3. Entrants must be aged 18 or over and be residents of the United Kingdom. It is a condition of entry that all rules are accepted as final and that the entrant agrees to abide by these rules.
4. Any person that is: (a) an employee of the Sainsbury's group of companies, (b) employed by any agency associated with the Sainsbury's group of companies or (b) an immediate family member of such employees is not eligible to enter the prize draw.
5. Multiple entries are not permitted from persons or from email addresses i.e. (i) only one entry per person and (ii) one entry per email address will be accepted.
6. Entries using any software or automated process will be disqualified.
7. By submitting photos to Sainsbury's Bank, the winners agree to grant Sainsbury's Bank a perpetual royalty-free licence to use any or all of the contributions in all and any media including, without limitation, the promoter's printed publications, promotional materials, social media and in the advertising of the Sainsbury's Bank's goods or services or on their blog or website.
8. Photos must be in JPG format.
9. Photos must be your own property and not be subject to copyright. If you are not the owner then you must have permission from the owner before submitting the image. Full copyright shall be retained by the author of any submissions.
10. If you are not the owner of the pet in the photo, you must have permission from the owner before submitting the image of the pet.
11. The overall winner and category winners (3) will be chosen by our independent pet photographer judge, Paul Walker, on 5 October 2015. The decision of the judge is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
12. The submissions will be judged based on quality of photo, composition and originality, as determined by the competition judge. The decision on all matters relating to the competition is final.
13. The prize is a Fujifilm X30 digital camera for the overall winner and each category winner (3) will receive a £100 Sainsbury's voucher.
14. Email addresses will be used to allow entrants to enter the competition and for Sainsbury's Bank to contact the winners, the runners-up and entrants if required. Entrants will not be contacted with promotional material.
15. The name of the overall winner and category winners will be made available for 28 days following 6 October 2015.
16. The overall winner and category winners will be contacted via email by SB Competitions, Yard Digital, 10 Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2AS within seven days of the competition closing. If a winner or runner-up does not respond within seven days another winner may be chosen. The prize is non-transferable.
17. Promoter Sainsbury's Bank plc, 33 Holborn, London, EC1N 2HT.
18. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook or Twitter. By entering this promotion, entrants release Facebook and Twitter from any action or claim arising out of the promotion.
19. Sainsbury's Bank accepts no responsibility for entries not successfully completed due to a technical error of any kind.
20. The entrant agrees that Sainsbury's Bank shall not be liable for any claims, costs, liabilities, damages, expenses and losses arising out of:
    (i) the entrant's participation in the prize draw or in the event the entrant wins the prize draw, that entrant's use of (or inability to use) the prize;
    (ii) technical failures of any kind including but not limited to problems or delays arising from software or equipment malfunctions or computer viruses;
    (iii) any events outside Sainsbury's Bank's reasonable control. Nothing in this clause shall be construed to exclude or limit Sainsbury's Bank's liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence or any other liability which by law cannot be excluded or limited.

This Money Matters post aims to be informative and engaging. Though it may include tips and information, it does not constitute advice and should not be used as a basis for any financial decisions. Sainsbury's Bank accepts no responsibility for the opinions and views of external contributors and the content of external websites included within this post. Some links may take you to another Sainsbury's Bank page. All information in this post was correct at date of publication.