A lot of people will hold off on a pet photo shoot when they get a new puppy. There’s a misconception that puppies are impossible to photograph, when nothing could be further from the truth. Puppies are a joy to photograph, and while you may need a bit more patience than usual, there’s no reason to hold off until they are adults. As one of my clients said, they are only puppies once!
Today I’m going to address a few common concerns that people have – if you have any questions or comments please leave them below or ask over on my Facebook page.
1.) “My puppy won’t sit still or pose, and is full of energy!”
This is the number once concern puppy owners have. And you know what? I’ve photographed ten week old puppies that are better behaved than some grown dogs. My style of pet photography is completely natural and relaxed – I never force a puppy to pose (which is futile), instead I get them to play with their favourite toy or stick, or run around the garden, and I photograph them that way. Often they are so engrossed in their toys (best day ever!) that they don’t even notice the strange lady with the camera making chicken noises.
I also guarantee that your puppy will run out of energy by the end of our session. You know this is coming when they start to get completely over stimulated and grumpy. This is when I will swoop in and get a few close up portraits or sleepy shots, before they fall asleep for the rest of the day.
Stella and Oliver both love their sticks!
2.) “How old should my puppy be, and how long should I have had him/her for?”
Personally, I think twelve weeks and older is the perfect time. Their personality will be blossoming and they will be filled with curiosity. It’s very important that they know you, trust you, and respond to your voice. Without this the shoot will be much less successful and if they are very new to your household you run the risk of really traumatising them. Even though I am far from scary, if your puppy is still adjusting to it’s surrounds (and especially if your puppy is a rescue dog), I might appear terrifying to them. You don’t want your pup to grow up scared of cameras.
Remember that each dog is different and that you are the best judge of how the have settled in. We can always reschedule if they aren’t quite ready!
3.) “My puppy hasn’t had all of his/her shots and can’t go off lead or to a dog park”
No problem! My clients are constantly amazed at how different their own backyard and living room can look with professional photography. I love finding ways to use your house and garden as a backdrop – and that way you don’t need to stress about your precious pooch, you can relax and enjoy the shoot.
If you don’t have an outdoor area, we can use a room with lots of natural light.
And now the exciting part, a special offer for all my readers. If you book a puppy session, you’ll receive 50% off your second session when they are all grown up! This way you’ll be able to have beautiful pieces of custom art as a visual reminder of how much they’ve grown and become part of your family. It’s also amazing to see the changes they go through both physically and with their personalities – check out Oliver at ten weeks and at a year old!
Oliver at ten weeks old on the left, and at one year old on the right.
To book your puppy session today, click here to email me. And to keep up with all the puppy related cuteness, follow me on Facebook