“What’s the hardest part of photographing your own dog?” It’s a question I recently asked my Instagram followers to weigh in on.
“Getting him to look like he is loved!” laughed one Pittsburgh dog mom. “He hates pictures and it shows!”
Another echoed that sentiment adding, “Getting him to smile!”
I hear you, ladies! I often joke that Hunter suffers from Photographer’s Dog Syndrome…but am I really joking? I mean, there’s a reason why we call him Mr. Serious.
One new puppy mom said hers tries to sit on her lap and eat the camera while another said that she struggled with catching those spur-of-the-moment or action shots before the moment passes forever.
These challenges couldn’t be more common and are just a few of the reasons why you should book a professional pet photography session. Most pet photographers will tell you that these challenges aren’t really even difficult for us; we see these very things on the regular at our sessions. We know how to handle a dog who refuses to look at the camera or who (when he does) puts on a grumpy-looking fur face. We are skilled and unbelievably patient in wrangling those wild, wiggle-bottomed puppies. We are like magicians when it comes to freezing a high-flying fur baby.
And that’s why Pittsburgh pet parents come to me. Pittsburgh pet parents tired of blurry iPhone photos of squirmy-wirmy puppers, frustrated with trying to photograph their entirely black dog and losing the details in his face every time, and weary of repeatedly calling their dog’s name in an attempt to get her to look their way. I watch their faces with a full heart during reveal and ordering appointments as they see for the first time the incredible images of their fur kids (whose behavior, like 90% of my clients, they deemed utterly terrible and mortifyingly crazy during their session).
Getting those awww-worthy portraits of your dog shouldn’t be stressful, exasperating, or seemingly impossible. A calm, no-pressure, and fun approach makes a world of difference in producing images in which your pup looks happy, in-focus, and properly exposed. Well, that combined with some wacky attention-getters, a bit of patience, and a dash of Photoshop magic, as needed…but that can be our little secret.
This post is the first in a three-part blog series addressing the common challenges pet parents face in photographing their own dogs.
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 “Your Session” in the menu and be sure to share your email on my homepage to join the VIP list.