8 Special Life Moments to Book a Pet Photographer
There is no shortage of photographers in the world today– but, why book a pet photographer?
There is a set of special, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime life milestones that people will hire a photographer for: an engagement, a wedding, a pregnancy, a new baby, and more.
But, what about when your family includes little furry friends with four paws? When you want to include your dog in your kitchen wall art, or even capture your pet’s final weeks or days?
Did you even know there was a niche called pet photography?
The pet photographer is one who has a set of professional photography skills but also a special gift for engaging with and working with pets.
If you love your dog, if she’s been with you and you see her as part of your family.
if this sounds like you, keep reading for a list of
10 special life moments you should consider booking a pet photographer for, and why.
- 1. Family Portraits with your pet
Family portraits are pretty straight forward. Everyone knows what they are. You gather your family and order some adorable matching outfits on Amazon. You wrestle everyone into the car for the drive to a beautiful location at golden hour. The photographer captures your family running through fields, holding hands, and loving on each other. Add your pet to the mix, and the whole family is there. A pet photographer should have experience with dogs and dog behavior. So, they’ll have the ability to get your pup’s attention and alleviate the stress of a family photoshoot using their experience, and they’ll capture your pet’s personality in the process.
- 2. Engagement Sessions with your pets
Engagement sessions are a given for couples who have decided to tie the knot. The photographer gets the smiles, the tears, the ring, the running along the shore or even into the water. And if you as a couple share the love of a pet, you’ll definitely want them involved in some way. I love this black and white of Roz’s paw with her humans, stunningly showing off that ring!
A pet photographer will creatively include your pet in any special celebration!
- 3. Baby Announcements
There are some super creative and beautiful ways to work your dog into your baby announcement, maternity, and newborn photos. Cute signs, “Big Sister” bandanas, and paws with tiny baby hands just to name a few. And after the new baby is finally here, your photos become a collection to cherish, print, and hang all over your home. As a pet photographer, I know how tough it can be to balance babies, couples, and dogs in one session. But it’s a skill I’ve learned over time and that I’m more comfortable with because of my dog experience. And it’s just this: patience, patience, patience! And being attentive to everyone’s needs during the session.
- 4. Action Photos
Whether your dog runs the lure course (pictured above), dock-diving, hunting, or other sports, you’ll definitely want to document it. Action shots can be a once-in-a-lifetime thing– both for pet owners and photographers.
If you’re planning a dog-friendly event
- 5. Dog-friendly Events
These photos were taken at a huge fundraiser for That Newfoundland Place. There were some of the most gorgeous Newfies I’ve ever seen, so I made sure to capture them with their owners and rescuers, as well as the details of the day and some of the activities they had throughout.
Whether it’s for fundraisers, rescue events, photos for your clients, fairs, pool “pawties,” anything you can think of, really. If you’re planning it, it’s a good idea to include a professional photographer in your budget. That way, your guests can relax a bit knowing there’s someone there to take care of capturing the small and big moments, the little details such as decorations, and group photos. We also take charge in corralling people for photo opportunities. A pet photographer will have similar goals with event organizers: focus on what [your organization] does, the benefit of the pets involved, and highlight the work [you] do.
- 6. Business Branding and Commercial photos
If you’re a business that focuses on pets or pet care, it’s important to have professional, non-stock photos on your site and social media that best represent who you are. You can hire a pet photographer for business branding photos, headshots or professional shots of you and your staff, as well as product photos and more. Commercial photography focuses on your business and getting you more of it through tactical shots keeping your brand colors, style, and environment in mind.
A pet photographer will be able to work with your clients and employees– furry ones included– and focus on all the right things.
These are great sessions for vet offices, pet product stores, groomers, daycares, and more.
End of Life photography
- 7. End of Life Photos
This one may be harder to talk about or to even book or come to terms with booking. But, it’s one of the most important and my favorite.
Why?
In the grand scheme of things, pets are in our lives for a very short time; we know that going into this. So, we try to capture everything we can while they’re here: the cuddles, the funny faces, the beach trips, the saliva-soaked favorite toys. But sometimes we get close to the end of our time with us, and we realize there was little time to stop and enjoy sweet, quiet moments with them. When they’re gone, where are all the photos of you together? You were usually the one taking all the photos.
Some pet photographers– me included– will offer what we call End of Life sessions. I call mine “Love, Sadie: Celebration of Life sessions” after a dog named Sadie who started it all.
These sessions are for when we get a diagnosis we weren’t hoping for, or when we see our pet slowing down a little more each day, when we just know our time together is getting close to its end and all we can do is honor the relationship we’ve had with beautiful memories in photos.
And well, the photos speak for themselves.
What is Pet Portrait Photography?
- 8. Pet Portraits
Perhaps I saved the most obvious for last…
But, yes! It’s ALWAYS a good idea to schedule portraits of your pet. These sessions produce beautiful wall art, social media posts, and are the best way to let your pet shine. This is what many Pet Photographers focus on.
These can be in-studio sessions, outdoors, or even in-home for pets who do better there such as seniors or kitties.
Pet portraits can be pet-only or include you.
How to book your pet photographer
So, if you’re ready to book a photographer who can creatively pose and work with your pet of any personality or skill level, you can book your local pet photographer!
If you’re in CT or MA, you can contact me for a free consultation to talk about what you’re looking for and see if we’d be a great fit.
Otherwise, you can Google “Pet Photographers near me” and you’ll get a hefty list. Make sure you spend a good amount of time researching websites and portfolios to get a good idea of pet photographers’ styles and where they typically shoot– do they have a studio? do they shoot outdoor? Do they have dog experience.
In fact, I think my next post will be about what questions to answer before booking! So, stay tuned.
Finally, for End of Life Photography, I recommend using the Tilly Project to find a photog in your area who offers these sessions. I’m a proud Tilly Project Affiliate Photographer, and I’m located in CT but travel all over New England for these sessions. You can learn more about Lovelee Paws’s End of Life Photography Here.
I would love to work with you!
And I hope you found this helpful.
