Preparing for the Perfect Pet Portrait
At Daniel James Photography we love photographing animals of all shapes and sizes and always look forward to our pet portrait studio photo shoots.
There’s just something wonderfully unpredictable that makes pet portraits all the more interesting as you simple don’t know how the animal/s will react to the studio environment. A lot of the time a bit of fuss from us and playing a game with them for the first 5-10 minutes will help them to relax and we’ll then get some fun photographs like the ones shown at the side or in our Portraits Portfolio, however we’ll often get asked if there’s any tips we can give as to how you can get your dog prepared for having their photograph taken and so we’ve prepared this post with a few things that we’ve learned over the years to help to get the best out of your pet for their pictures.
Walkies
The best thing you can do is to make sure that your dog has been for a walk, this is something that they will be used to so there’s familiarity and routine and it will also help use up some excess energy (preferably not too long a walk though as this could make them too tired and not in the mood to pose).
Pampering your Pooch
Grooming is something that you will most likely be doing anyway but a comb before the photo shoot or even right at the beginning of their pet portrait will help them to relax as well as to help them look their best (you’ve got to look your best for a close-up, right?)
Food
Making sure that your dog has eaten beforehand will also help them to be in the best possible mood, though it’s best to make sure they’re not over full as this could also make them tired during the photo shoot.
Treats & Toys
Finally we advise that you bring along some of your dogs favourite treats which will help us to guide them into poses and generally to behave (we all like a treat every now and then don’t we? and your dog’s no different). Additionally a toy or two and/or a favourite blanket is always nice as it can help them to relax and a sense of familiarity is comforting and means that it’s not all brand new to them, which can be a bit daunting for some dogs (especially puppy’s).
That’s it really, a few short tips to help your pet portrait run smoothly.
We look forward to welcoming you and your pet into our studio for their perfectly pampered pet portrait soon.
