Pet Photography Sessions. I need to develop a better name for these dynamic sessions that involve your dog, cat, horse, and YOU. In my heart, they are more than merely Pet Photography. When people start considering having a session for their favorite pet, it often only includes their furry best friend. People tell me all the time, “I’m interested in a session but only for my dog” or “Will I have to be in the photos?”. I don’t strong-arm anyone in front of my lens. However, hang with me as I answer some frequently asked questions about this subject. While hopefully making a case for you to consider joining your dog in a photography session.
Spokane Pet Photography that Isn’t just about the pet
Before I dive into the common questions, let me first tell you a bit about my pet sessions as a Spokane photographer. I currently offer branding, Family, and Newborn Photography Sessions. While these sessions are labeled differently, my goal is much the same, to capture connection: the connection between family members, connections with your dog, and a connection to the environment.
I want my images to feel and to have a breath of their own. To do that, I lean heavily into connection every time I pick up my camera. My goal is to provide you with a set of images that make you feel the love, connection, silliness, quirks, and joy that is your fur baby. However, to best to do that, I need YOU! You are a massive part of the story as well.
Do you need to show your face in the photos?
Absolutely not. My superpower is capturing images of pets with their people anonymously. I have many ways to capture you connecting with your pet without having you face the camera and smile. Below are a few of my favorite go-to shots.
- Walking with your dog
- Dog laying at your feet
- Your back to the camera sitting beside your pup
- Close up of you petting your dog
These pictures can be for you and you alone
Often people are uncomfortable with their images ending up on social media or a photographer’s website. I love sharing photos that I capture with my audience, and it’s the best way to grow my business for sure. However, my ultimate goal is to give you photographs you can cherish forever of the bond you have with your pet. Before any session, we discuss your comfort level with sharing images and if you’re OK with it, sign a release.
If you aren’t excited about an image of yourself on social media or my website portfolio, I’d still be honored to capture photographs for you and your furry best friend. My number one goal is to deliver something you can connect with deeply.
Joining your dog in a photography session gives them a safe space
As a photographer who has seen many pets and people come in front my camera, trust me when I say, “You’re where your pet wants to be.” Photographs are scary at times, even for our dogs. When I start snapping away, and you step away from your dog, they will feel it. In a dog’s mind, they think, “OK, so something new and scary is happening. My person is pushing me away. I sense the awkwardness… and WHAT is that noise coming from that block box that person is pointing at me?!”
I encourage everyone to stay close to their pups in the photos and reassure them everything is OK. If you relax, and show your dog you want to keep close, you will put them at ease. My sessions strive to create a safe space for pets and humans. Creating a safe space is important to me.
Joining your dog in a photography session matters
I fully believe it’s important to have photographs with the ones we love. That means our pets too. Their lives are painfully short, and I know the feeling of digging through old images that breathe life into a relationship with our furbabies that have passed. When I say, “take the photos today, you’ll want tomorrow,” this is it. Five years from now, you will not regret being in these photos, but I can promise you that you will regret it if you don’t.
Whether it’s with me, another photographer, or your cell phone on a timer, “Get in those photos too!”
My pet sessions are more like a walk in the park with a good friend than stuffy posed portraits. If you’re interested in how a session like this might work for you, drop me a note here. I’d love to chat.
Cheers!
MB – A More than pet-friendly Spokane Photographer.
