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Proud pup mom, type A creative, lover of the outdoors, Top Chef fan girl, and wedding and portrait photographer. Welcome to the blog!
HI, I'M RACHEL!
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I am so excited to share my top tips for how to include dogs at photo shoots!! As a dog mom, I understand how important it is to include family pets in your photo session. Pets are part of the family and they deserve to be included. Always.
Each year I include Milli in my headshots session and they always end up being my favorite photos! That’s how I personally know it’s important to include pets in your photos and why today I’m sharing these tips for how to include dogs at photo shoots.
Pic by Cait Kramer Photography
The intention of any photo session I do is to of course capture the humans at their best. With these tips on how to include dogs at photo shoots, we’ll make sure to strike a great balance between including your four legged friends and capturing your special human-focused memories!
Disclaimer: I believe all pets should be included in your photo session (cats, birds, snakes, ferrets, bunnies, you name it!). I’m only sharing tips on how to include dogs at photo shoots because the reality for me is that I’ve only photographed dogs and one bunny rabbit:
Bring someone to watch the dog when they aren’t in the photos. All dogs are adorable, and we don’t need them in every picture. Here are some ways to include your dog in some photos and not in others:
Be prepared to ditch them. Dogs sometimes won’t sit facing the right way, or are distracted by passers-by or random birds, or are too excited and won’t sit still. We don’t want to kill all your time in front of the camera trying to force a dog to cooperate, so at that point, we will make the call to have them exit stage left.
If this happens, we’ll get a few shots of you interacting with the dog in whatever way they’re able (maybe playing or snuggling or just looking at them), and then we’ll call it a day. You can hand them over to the dog-sitter or tether their leash to a nearby bench or tree for the rest of the session. If we have time at the end, we can try again.
Bring treats.
Have your dog groomed or bathed before the session. Just like you want photos of yourself looking your best, you want the same for your dog!
Coordinate their outfits with your outfits. You’ve spent a lot of time planning your outfits and coordinating them with the other people in the photos. You’ll want to do the same with your dog so they look picture perfect too!
Have a plan for outfit changes. If you’re planning to change your outfit, just know beforehand whether you’re going to bring your dog with you or leave him near me. If it’s an engagement session, I won’t be able to watch him/her because I will be photographing your ring. If it’s another type of session, I’ll be glad to baby sit!
Dog-friendly location choices are a must. This isn’t as much of an issue if you have a dog-sitter with you, but if not, we’ll want to choose a location that is dog friendly. One that doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic (for example, I wouldn’t recommend bringing a dog to Union Station or even Georgetown without a dog-sitter). More secluded, open, nature-based areas are best if you want to include dogs in photo shoots. It’s less chaotic and distracting.
Have patience. Dogs have no idea what’s going on at a photo shoot! The best tip I can give you is to have patience so you can enjoy yourself.
Did this post get you excited to book your own wedding, elopement, or engagement session?! If yes, send me a note and we can chat about what you have in mind: contact me
Hi – I’m Rachel! A wedding, engagements, and headshots photographer in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and northern Virginia. I love taking photos of elegant people who love to laugh, as well as of much in-love couples. If you’re a dog owner, that’s a plus! I’m currently booking 2019 portrait sessions, as well as 2019 and 2020 weddings.
HELLO@RACHELEHPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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Rachel is a wedding and portrait photographer
Serving brilliant, elegant couples in Washington D.C. + Beyond
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Hi Rachel! I’m interested. In the fall minis What dates do you have available?