You hire a wedding photographer for your walk down the aisle, a family photographer to capture your children’s milestones, and a senior photographer for those pre-graduation portraits, so it only makes sense that you book an experienced pet photographer for your furry friends. From capturing those fleeting puppy days to celebrating them as a special member of the family, here are three (more) reasons to book a professional pet photographer.
1. You can join in.
And you should…even if you don’t want to.
Look, I get it because I hear it from so many pet parents: I’m not photogenic! I’d ruin every picture! and I don’t need to be in any photos. This is all about him. Um, false. It’s not all about him. It’s about celebrating the joy and love between the two of you, and trust me when I tell you that you’ll be happy you did. Not a single person has ever left their reveal and ordering appointment having said, “Wow, I sure do regret agreeing to take a photo with my pet.”
If you do join in, are most of your photos together just awkward selfies in which one of you (ahem–Hunter, my Grumpapotamoose himself) is showing every symptom of #photographersdogsyndrome while the other reeks of frustration (and sweat) after wrestling that squirmy-wirmy pup into the frame? Is anyone really even looking at the camera? How about at the same time? (Now that’s some serious skill.)
Hiring a professional pet photographer affords you the luxury and freedom of stepping out from behind the camera to in front of it so that you can relax, truly enjoy yourself and your pet, and be visible as a part of your family.
2. You’ll see your pet like never before.
Thanks to today’s more affordable entry-level DSLR and mirrorless cameras and the decent camera quality of many smartphones that people seem to have in their hand practically 24/7, getting photos of your furry friend is more convenient than ever. This convenience, however, often comes with the trade-off of ease and variety of your images.
Open your phone and scroll through the 34,752 snapshots you’ve snapped of your dog over the years. How many of them look nearly identical to the one before? Is every photo a repetitive and uncomfortably posed sit just in a different location? Of those 53 photos you snuck of your dog snoozing away on the couch the other evening, can someone even tell what they’re looking at? How many of them are properly exposed and in focus? If it’s not as many as you’d like, you’re not alone.
There’s the adage that “variety is the spice of life,” and as your pet photographer, I can’t begin to explain how true that is when it comes to photographing your four-legged friend. When your dog decides to spice things up as you’re trying to photograph him, requiring you to do your own agility course to catch up to him only to be left with an obscure blur of an escape artist in the Federal Witness Protection Program…well, let’s be real: it certainly doesn’t make it easy. If nothing else, it’s stressful–for both you and him.
When you hire a professional pet photographer, I promise, you’ll see your pet like never before, like you never could have imagined. What you see as “bad,” I see as magically chaotic. What you see as the perfectly posed puppy portraits masks those unexpected in-between moments that produced them. What you see as a level of nervousness and reactivity in your dog that would never allow him to feel comfortable in an unfamiliar location around new people and with essentially a big black eyeball in his face is just a dog who simply needs a little extra time and space.
3. You’ll improve your own photography skills.
Whether you realize it or not, watching a pet photographer work with your pets will actually help improve your own photography. You’ll learn how to capture their attention, the best angles and perspectives to shoot from, an understanding of light, and other subtle tricks and techniques that will take your images from ho-hum to daaayum!
If you would like to book a Bark & Gold Photography session for your pet, click here or give me a call at 724-913-BARK (2275). For more information on Bark & Gold Photography sessions, visit “The Experience” in the menu and be sure to share your email on my homepage to join the VIP list.
This post is a part of the Blogging for Pet Photographers blog circle. To see what the next pawesome photographer is sharing for the weekly theme, “Photographer’s Choice,” check out Nancy at Nancy Kieffer Photography, capturing the journey with your pet, serving Syracuse, central New York, the Adirondacks, and beyond. Continue to click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here.
Great tips Jessica.
Thank you, Terri!
Um … could you pass a note onto that dachshund gal that her boots are KICKASS. Dang, I need me a pair of those. And yes, being in the images with your dog is so important. Even if it’s just your feet or the back of your head. Those are timeless memories that will be treasured tomorrow in ways we don’t understand today.
Ha, her entire outfit was adorable! I loved her boots too!
“Escape artist in the federal witness protection program” had me laughing out loud! Great points, all of them!
Thank you! Always happy to provide a little humor!
Lovely photos along with some great tips! I often have rescue/foster parents watching us as we photograph the foster dog(s) and they are amazed at all the little things that occur during those photo sessions.
I think we are so used to doing whatever it takes for the shot or that we just know how to draw from our own tricks that we don’t often realize how impressive what we can acheive is to others.
“My own agility” is what it feels like sometimes! What a cutie little dachshund helping us understand why a professional pet photographer is important.
I agree! It can feel like agility sometimes!