Including your Dog in your Family Photoshoot

Hoping to bring your dog to your family photoshoot? I think that’s a great idea. Please let me know that the time you book your session. Adding your pet to your shoot takes up extra time and effort. This usually means less total photos for your gallery, but more meaningful ones when you include the pets your family loves so very much. Your dog might not be positioned perfectly in every single photo. They definitely won’t be looking directly at the camera for every photo either. Including them is still such a good idea as it documents the time in your life when you were with this extra special family member.

Let me know in advance – This seems obvious, but it is very easy to forget. Give me a heads up, and we can make the most out of your session.

Give them extra exercise – A well exercised dog will help your dog to be more cooperative during our session. Plan to take them on an extra long walk or as your dog walker to make an extra trip to visit your pup before our session.

Bring a leash – Maybe your pup doesn’t always need one, but for these shoots they really help get your dog positioned. The leash really helps with positioning your dog for most of the photos. If your dog has calm energy during the shoot, you can try to remove it, but don’t forget about Los Angeles County laws regarding a leash.

Bring a friend (or hire my assistant) – An extra set of hands during your session will really make our time together more efficient and effective.

Bring some treats – Actually, bring lots of treats – something small or already broken up into pieces. Even the sight of these treats brings on good behavior.

Position your pup and then move toward them – We’ll do this over and over during your session. Your dog will want to be looking at you. We’ll tell him to sit and they will position themselves to be facing you! It’s hilarious. All dogs do this. They will also position themselves 2-3 feet away from you when they sit. Just the right distance to be given a treat. Because of this we’ll get your dog posed and then gently scoot closer to them. It takes a few tries to get the shot, but it’s well worth the time and effort.

Don’t include the dog in all of the photos – We will hand your dog off to my assistant or a friend and get some shots without your dog. This takes the pressure off of your dog for a few minutes and gives them (and you) a chance to relax for a minute.

Movement shots are fun – We can go for a short walk or toss a ball a few times for your doggie. These are usually my favorite photos.

It’s ok to see the leash in photos – If you’re worried that your leash will show in some of your photos, just know that it looks totally natural in the finished product. If you find the perfect photo in your gallery that you’d like to have the leash digitally removed just let me know. I charge a small editing fee for this service.

All the same rules apply to indoor sessions! We can include your dog in a few of your indoor family photos and your newborn session. Just be sure to let me know in advance so that we can plan accordingly.