This is part three of a four-part series that gives you tips and inspiration about photographing your dog. See the previous post, What to Do While Photographing Your Dog.
As you’re finishing up photographing your dogs, it’s important to let your dogs know that it’s fun to get their photo taken. This will make it easier on you next time you decide to break out the camera. There are a few ways to do this.
- Reward your dogs with plenty of treats, and praise them enthusiastically for being so good for the camera. It doesn’t matter if they were little hams, or petrified of the lens, positive rewards will help them get excited about the process, and ready to do it again next time. If they associate your camera with treats, they’ll practically be asking you for photo sessions!
- Let your dogs run around and unwind. If you’ve been putting them in sit-stays or downs to pose them just right, they’re probably itching to run around again to shake off the wiggles that come from staying in one place too long. Let them cool off, and run around with them to keep their enthusiasm high. This way, they’ll know that if they sit and stay the way you ask, they’ll be rewarded with playtime.
- Some dogs don’t like it when you’re constantly giving them instruction and direction. You should always gauge your dogs’ comfort levels, since you know them best. Perhaps it’s a good idea to let them lie down and have some alone time after you’re done taking photos. This can often be the case with older dogs. They love your company, but no dog loves to take orders all day. Make sure they have an opportunity to cool down and relax afterward.
After we finished up our session with this pug, Madonna, her owners told me that she slept for the rest of the day! She was soooo tired!
If you have any questions about these topics, or anything else related to pet photography, I hope you feel free to email me! My address is [email protected], and I’d love to hear about your experiences with photographing your dogs! I know it can be difficult, so I’m here to help if you run into any issues. Happy shooting!
About the Author
My name is Allison Shamrell and I’m a pet photographer in Pensacola, Florida. I am completely in love with my job. I have a dog, Bailey, who I consider to be my daughter. I’d do pretty much anything to see her happy, and if you feel the same way about your dogs, just follow my tips to photograph them.
