5 TIPS ON BRINGING YOUR DOG TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY SESSION

1. Have fun, and let dogs be dogs! If they are well trained and can stick close by, let them off the leash! If they need to be on a leash, bring a long leash for them to roam a bit. My husband Joe is usually there to help me when I know there is a dog during the session, but if he can’t be there to hold your dog while I take photos of you, you’ll need a long leash that we can wrap around a tree trunk or attach to a post. Likewise, if we are out in the straight-up wild (like pictured above) keep them on a leash for safety 👍🏼

2. Bring treats! Food is a good motivator. A question I like to ask is, “what are some of your favorite things about your dog, or what your dog does to make you smile?” Usually the answer involves movement or a command to get that result, so a treat is helpful for me to capture that shot, especially if it needs to be done more than once.

3. Set realistic expectations. Your dog is probably not a model and will likely have no idea that you want them to sit still and “smile” at the camera. I try to remind couples to let their dogs be dogs (which is probably why you think they are so cute!) and that if you want a closeup of their face, you can squeeze them in a giant human hug!

4. Be patient. Having a dog in your session is so much fun, but it can be quite time consuming. For example, if we are getting a cute smiling photo with the dog between your two faces, chances are that the dog will try to lick your faces. It’s fun, but I think we all know that we don’t look our best while getting dog slobber all over our pretty faces. We will need to keep trying (using food perhaps as a motivator?) to get that shot you want! Also, things in general take more time. More time with the photos, transition time with having a dog in some photos and no dog in some photos. It just requires some patience.

5. Consider the environment. Are we inside or outside? Is it hot or cold? How long will your time be? All of these can affect how your dog will behave, so consider bringing extra water, extra layers (like our very windy day in the photo above — scroll to see a massive gust of frigid air blow past them) to keep your dog happy 👌🏼

Those are my top 5 tips! In general, keep in mind all your favorite things about your dog and let your photographer know them! It’s better to have more information about your dog than not enough, so have fun during your session with your cute pup!