I’m doing a lot more events recently and one thing that I hear all the time is, “Too bad my Fluffy can’t sit still,” or, “Oh, my dog really can’t behave well enough for a photoshoot,” or, “My dog is just all over the place.” And at events, I just laugh it off and say, “Well, that’s what fast shutter speeds are for!”

But really, there’s a more nuanced discussion here that I think needs to be said: you aren’t looking to capture some perfect nonexistent version of your dog with me. You want to capture your dog as they are and as you’ll always remember them: their goofy, rambunctious, not-still selves.

It’s completely normal for dogs not to look at the camera, to be excited, sniff new places and people, and to just be a little crazy at a photography session, but that’s what I’m here for and that’s what I’m good at dealing with. I know it can look like a lot of dogs I photograph are perfectly posed, but in most cases we’re just capturing a fraction of a second where they happen to glance my way!

Not to mention, most people are surprised when I tell them that the vast majority of the dogs in my photos are still on leash, the leash has just been edited out. So your dog doesn’t need to be off leash at all during our photography session. They’re fully under your control on their leash and typically you’re standing just off camera less than five steps away from them with cookies and toys.

I also love to make sure a dog is comfortable and well rewarded for their efforts. You’ll hear me throughout our session say, “Okay cookie time! They’re such a good dog!” even if they only held still for a few seconds. That means it’s time to give them a break, let them walk around a little, play a little, and make it an enjoyable time for them. We’ll go at their pace while making sure we get the photos you want.

So if the thing holding you back from getting photos of your dog is your thought that “My dog will never behave, we’ll never capture good photos of them,” put that out of your mind. You and I can handle that together and find those fractions of seconds where we make magic happen.

And if you want to talk about it more and discuss how we can make sure your dog is comfortable then feel free to book a call with me or check my event schedule pinned on social media to talk in person!