Your first photo session

Great! You’ve booked your first dog photo session but now what? If you’re like me you’ll be asking your self 1000 questions an hour, going over all the what if’s and worrying about your dog not behaving.

Hopefully I’ll answer at least a few of those 1000 questions and put your mind at ease by the end of this blog.

First of all your dogs safety is my primary objective. I’ll never ask you to do anything your not comfortable with or that would put either of your safety at risk.

Secondly I’ve worked with all sorts of well and not so well behaved dogs - from some whose middle name I’m sure is flight risk, to couch potatoes and everything in between. There are no dogs that can’t be photographed with a little patience, rewards and time.

So what can you do beforehand?

If you want to you can do a little bit of preparation with your fur baby. Fairly simple things like teaching them ‘sit’, ‘stay’, taking a treat from your palm, responding to their name or any little tricks such as giving a paw.

Again there is no requirement to do any of these as this is your and your dogs session and is all about celebrating your bond and capturing their personality.

What should I do and take on the day?

There are a few items that I would recommend taking with you to your photo session;

A favourite toy especially if it’s a squeal toy

Treats, high value as well as regular walkies treats

If you want the collar included in the images then a backup collar for your dog to wear while they burn off a little energy can be useful

I take a thin slip lead and cleansing wipes (just in case your dog is like my Jack Russell and loves a roll)

Keep your dogs day as normal as possible as this helps to reduce stress especially for reactive or more sensitive dogs

Be relaxed yourself

Dogs are very intuitive and take their emotional cues from you. If they sense stress in you they are more likely to be stressed. Remember this photo session is all about you and your dog. There is no pressure on your dog to perform, we are here to capture their personality and your bond, goofy moments included!

Putting you in the picture

Many of us grew up in the time before mobile phones (hard to believe I know but there was a time when they didn’t exist!) and have a real fear of having our picture taken after years of our parents getting the camera (the one where the flash had 4 shots and you had to send the film off to be developed) out and making us smile in the most un-natural way imaginable. Anyway enough of my generations trauma…

If you would like to be in some of the images with your dog here’s a few tips;

Avoid clothes with big logos or neon colours. Solid colours or soft patterns work best

Chill - I’m not expecting you to be a professional model. The more natural the moment the better the image

Lastly

Your session is all about two things - your dog and you. Your dog doesn’t need to be perfectly behaved, in fact I hope they aren’t. They have their own personality and take the zoomies, ignore us, won’t sit when we want then won’t stand. They aren’t perfect and that’s what makes them perfect.