I have noticed over the years that my clients sometimes hesitate to ask if it is possible to bring their pets to the photo session as part of the family. This is baffling to me as they play such an essential role in our family’s daily routines. Would you exclude another family member that might add some extra work to your photoshoot? Absolutely not! Your fur-baby is an important part of your everyday life. If they are part of your family, they can be part of the session! I feel so strongly about this that I made a separate pets photography category just for them.
PEOPLE AND PETS PHOTOS | PETS PHOTOGRAPHY
What makes a family a family is unique to each individual. It is truly beautiful that we can have such varying ideas of what a family is but the basis always remains the same. The root of what brings us together is love.
With this in mind, I feel it is important to call attention to the importance of including pets in your family photo session. While my main photography style centers on people, I couldn’t forget mentioning the fur-babies too. Pets are such an integral part of our everyday lives, with infinite love and such distinct individual personalities.
So far, the majority of my family sessions involving pets have been incorporating dogs. Most likely it is because these fur-babies work best in the parks and outdoor locations of the sessions. However, there have also been sessions with other animals that are less common but just as fun to work with for me as well as alongside their family. Cats, rabbits, snakes, fish, reptiles, maybe even an imaginary creature or two are absolutely worth incorporating. With a little bit of thinking ahead, adding a pet to your session can be easy. During most of the group sessions incorporating dogs, the pet photos are taken within the first 45 minutes. Their attention spans are generally not much longer than that. At home, you can easily incorporate your pet for a few pictures here and there. While on location, bringing a support person along to look after your dog when they are not in a particular pose can make a pet and people photo session a breeze!
