TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PET SESSION WITH YOUR DOG


You’ve booked your pet session and now you’re questioning if your dog will behave long enough to get any good photos. RELAX, I got you. There has only been one pet in my entire pet photography journey who came into the studio and instantly sat for photos. That’s ONE dog in the hundreds of dogs I’ve photographed. A pet session is work and a lot of patience but it is so worth it to capture special moments. Below are some tips to help get the most out of your session.


  1. Relax. If you are stressed, your dog will be stressed. Don’t worry if your dog will behave or if they will potty on the floor. If that bothered me, I would not photograph animals.
  2. Bring your dogs favorite toys and treats.
  3. Prepare a list of your dogs favorite words
  4. Do not expect perfection. Your dog is perfect to you, I get it, I have one of those too. But you are coming to a strange place, with a strange lady with a camera and your dog may react differently than you’d like. It is okay. I promise we will get photos for you.
  5. Bringing multiple pets? Bring help.
  6. It is important to have only one person giving commands to your dog(s). If too many people are throwing out commands, it will be a distraction to your dog and we may struggle to get them to look at the camera.
  7. Leave the kiddos and extra people at home. If you are bringing someone with you and they are not there to help, leave them outside the studio. Having extra people is a big distraction. If your kiddos are not going to be in the photos, please don’t bring them. If they are going to be in the photos, have someone with you that can take them out of the studio once we are done with them.
  8. Think about the type of session you want and bring any ideas with you. I have a head full of ideas but I love to match your expectations. My sessions are a collaboration and if there is something you want to try, I will absolutely do that for you. The best sessions are when a pet parent has an idea of what they want but also trusts me to tweak the idea to get the best photos possible.