Have you been considering taking your dog to have his or her portraits taken by a dog photographer? Curious about how it works?

Read on, fur parent.

Before I tell all, I need to make one thing perfectly clear (again). If you are hesitant about professional dog portraits because your dog won’t sit still, look at the camera or needs a leash, don’t be. None of these things will prohibit gorgeous images. I promise. I’ve written extensively about why any dog is a “good” dog for portraits. And yes, that means you.

K? K! Good talk…

Before photo day, will will meet at least once. This is so that I can explain the process, get to know you and your fur babies.

Have you considered how you will display your images after the session is complete? No? Most fur parents have not. I’ll show you some options when we meet. You can read about the options here. After the first meeting we will take care of the less glamorous part of dog photography - contracts, fees and scheduling. I generally schedule two dates, so that we have a backup date in case of heavy rain or snow.

After the initial meeting I will be in contact with you, and am always available to answer questions or concerns.

On photo day, we will meet at our designated location. Before I take my camera out of my backpack, I will take a few minutes to let your fur babies get to know me and let them sniff me and my camera. When all beings are comfortable, we will start the image making process. Generally 1/3 of the images include fur parents and 2/3 are dedicated to the dogs. I use a combination of treats, strange noises and help from the dog’s family to get their attention. You will see me in all manner of strange positions, I encourage the dog into the position I’d like and then adjust my body from there to get the best camera angle based on how the dog moves. There is no wrong way for the dog to be. They are perfect just as they are (and so are you). Whether or not you’ve been in front of the camera, it usually feels awkward for about 20 minutes, and then it gets better. I’ll direct you into positions that flatter and feel natural to you.

We will spend as much time as needed to capture the images we discussed at our first meeting. The time we spend together depends on many things - your dogs, the weather, the light. The goal is to have fun.

After the session, we will meet about two weeks later to review the images, pick your favorites and order art for your walls.

Easy, peasy. And fun. I promise. Life is too short to stress over photos.