Badly behaved dogs is something I hear a lot as to why people are worried about booking a dog photo shoot. But I want to let you in to a little secret… no dog is perfect. Well that’s a lie, they’re all perfect to us but they might not be perfectly trained. And you know what? That’s perfectly ok! Your dog does not need to jump on command or speak when spoken to. They don’t even need to sit or stay (although that does help!). Your pet is perfect to you and that’s exactly what I want to capture in your photographs. Perfectly behaved or not!
I want to share some of the top reasons people may feel hesitant to book a pet photo session and to show you that it does’t matter. It shouldn’t be a reason to stop you treating your furry friend to their very own photo shoot and here’s why….
My dog is hyperactive and won’t sit still long enough
I am the pet parent of three very energetic staffies… so I know exactly what you mean! I’m used to being climbed on, jumped up at, pounced on and bathed in lots of slobbery kisses. And I love it so please don’t worry! Before your dog photo shoot I will send you a little guide full of useful hints and tips to help prepare for your photo shoot. One of these is to take your dog for a walk before your session to help them burn off energy. There is a lovely park which is a 10 minute walk away from my home studio, perfect for running off some energy.
If your dog tends to get more excited by walks then that’s absolutely fine too. Just bring them straight to their session without a walk and they can have a stroll around my garden if they need a break.
I use strobe flashes as my lighting in my home studio and a very fast shutter speed for outdoor sessions. This means I can freeze motion in a fraction of a second so your dog doesn’t need to sit still for long at all! In fact I love capturing action shots of your pooch running around or playing as this really shows off their personality.
My dog doesn’t know many commands
Neither do mine! Plus they seem to have selective hearing! I’ve photographed some dogs who just know a few commands and some that can do all kinds of tricks on cue. The truth is it doesn’t matter how many commands your dog knows. I love to keep my dog photo sessions relaxed and natural so all dogs can take part no matter how many commands they know. Even if they don’t know any! Generally speaking all dogs can sit, walk and stay (to some degree) and I find a little bit of cheese or sausage works wonders for encouragement! I admire any owner and dog that can learn lots of different commands, it’s a very talented skill. So if your dog knows lots of tricks we’ll make sure to capture these during your dog photo shoot too.
Rest assured your dog will be a superstar and I’ll capture beautiful portraits of them regardless of how many commands they can do.
My dog can’t be let off the lead
This is a common fear for outdoor session. But don’t worry! It doesn’t actually matter if your dog can’t be let off the lead. We will discuss this together prior to your session to decide the best way to photograph your dog. If they can be let off the lead then that’s great. I’ll be able to photograph them bounding around having a wonderful time! But if they can’t be let off the lead, we’ll still be able to capture the same photographs at your dog photo shoot. A long training or extendable lead is your best friend. We can attach this to your energetic pooch and I can capture images of them running around. But they’ll still be safely attached to you. I will then edit the lead out of the images as if it never existed!
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My dog doesn’t like strangers
Dogs are just like humans. Sometimes they’re just not in the mood to socialise! And that is perfectly ok. There is absolutely no rush for your dog photo shoot. There’s plenty of time for your pooch to have a sniff around and get used to me before I start taking their photos. I find a little bit of cheese or sausage usually helps! If your dog isn’t too keen on strangers then I appreciate knowing this before you arrive. So I can make sure they enjoy their session and stay relaxed and comfortable throughout. I will never ask you or your dog to do anything they aren’t happy doing. If they decide they don’t want to lay down then I won’t ask them to. There’s plenty of other poses I can capture them in!
On the flip side you might have an overly friendly dog. In which case I’ll prepare to be pounced on and get lots of lovely kisses!
Regardless of how well behaved your dog is, I can promise you that I will capture beautiful photographs showing off their personality. Photographs that you will love and cherish for many years to come. If you would love to book your dog photo shoot and receive timeless memories like these the please get in touch.
