What To Expect During Your Pet Photo Session

Making a Plan

Before we do anything at all, it’s time to talk and plan your photoshoot! Finding out what you want from your photos is the the first step towards creating the CUTEST images ever. Before we do the shoot we’ll talk on the phone to help me get sense of what you’re looking for.

Some things I will ask:

  • Who will be in the photos? Which pets, which people, which combinations?

  • Where will we take the photos? For example, dogs and horses are best photographed outdoors in their natural environments, while cats and exotics are better off inside the safety of their homes.

  • Will there be a theme? For cats and exotics there are many possibilities.

  • This is also a time for you to tell me a bit about the personality of your pet(s). Are they shy? Do they love attention? Do they not react well to certain scents or sounds? What color green brings out their eyes? That sort of thing.

Meet and Greet

Having your pet(s) photographed can be both exciting and anxiety inducing for both you and your pet(s)! Instead of firing away immediately after meeting you and your pet(s), I start with a meet and greet. Humans, cats, dogs, and horses all need a bit of warm up time before being photographed, and so the first few minutes are dedicated to just that.

We all experience moods and sometimes a pet isn’t ready to be photographed. If during the meet and greet we observe some less than friendly behavior, we can reschedule for a different day. But if the meet and greet leads to happy sniffs and calm ear movement, we can go right ahead!

It’s Photo Time

Pet photoshoots are often hilarious endeavors. Pet owners will need stay close to their pets for the duration of the shoot to encourage their pet with love and attention so that I can do what i do best: capture adorable photographs. It’s a really exciting 30 minutes for everyone involved!

Sometimes, however, cats won’t want to sit still. So, if they’re being friendly (but not staying put) the pet parents can just hang out while their sweet cat takes me on a journey. I have photographed these sweet creatures under tables and beds, in closets and bathtubs, and in various other nooks and crannies. Cats like me to join them on their precarious adventures and if I follow their lead I can photograph them in their natural states.

Being a pet photographer is acknowledging that little will go as planned. So, while themed photoshoots are often fun and can work out, it’s important to know going in that if a floof isn’t having it on any given day, we’ll need to activate Plan B (or often C and D).

Have a question or concern not addressed here? Contact me and ask!