Are you thinking about booking a professional photoshoot for your dog? Maybe you want some great photos to hang up in your living room, or perhaps you're just looking for an excuse to spoil your fluffy best friend. Whatever the reason, I’m happy to help!

There are a few things you need to know before you arrive at your photoshoot, though. If your dog is well-rested and prepared your session will go much smoother and your images will be all the more amazing.

I've come up with this handy guide to get your dog camera-ready. It covers all the dog photography essentials: what you should do before the session, what you should bring with you, and how to prepare your dog.

Dog photography essentials

If you're thinking about booking a dog photoshoot, that's amazing! But before you do, there are a few things you should know.

Take it from me: I've been a dog photographer for over a decade and have seen it all. I’m here to help ensure your experience is everything you want it to be.

Keep reading for my top 4 dog photography essentials:

1. Grooming

Your dog will look best in their photos if they are well-groomed. Depending on the type of coat your dog has, they may need professional grooming, or you may be able to maintain their fur yourself. If you have booked a photo session with me, I recommend scheduling a grooming appointment about one week in advance so that your dog's coat has time to settle.

If your dog has scruffy hair around its eyes, I recommend using a small amount of dog-safe gel to keep it from hiding their eyes during our session or make sure hair is trimmed away from their eyes so I can get those beautiful close-up shots!

Finally, some dogs like to get dirty. If yours is one of them, try to bathe them the night before your session (or at least the morning). This will help ensure that they look picture-perfect on the day of our shoot.

2. Nail trim

Dog paws are cute — and so are their nails. But that's only if you keep them neat. Long nails look pretty unruly in dog photos and can distract from the cuteness you want to capture. So it's always wise to take a little time to trim your pup's nails before your pet photo session. It usually takes a bit of extra time, but it's worth it!

3. Brush up on any tricks or behaviors they may know

Spend some time brushing up on any tricks or behaviors in the days leading up to our session. You don't have to do long training sessions—just a quick minute or two a day and reward Fido with something they love (like treats!). That way, they'll be ready to go when it's showtime.

Additionally, if you've been working on anything new, my advice would be to save it for another day. We want Fido to be comfortable during the session and not struggle to perform new behaviors in an unfamiliar and potentially exciting environment.

Lastly, don't worry if your pup doesn't know cues or forgets once they're on location. Most of the time, dogs forget because they're so excited about the whole situation, but we'll figure out what will work best for them and make sure they have a super positive experience!

4. Burning off energy

Finding the right balance of energy during a shoot can be a little tricky. If your pup is extra energetic, it might be best to let them run around and get their wiggles out before the shoot begins. Again, if they have too much energy, they might be busy playing and not focus on you or the camera at all. But if you tire them out too much (and they'd instead rather just go home and take a nap), then that means they're not in photoshoot mode either.

So here are my recommendations:

Before the shoot, take your energetic dog for a 15-minute walk, or engage in some light play with them. You might want to do this an hour or two before the scheduled shoot time. On the other hand, if your dog would rather just lay on the couch, there’s no need to burn off any excess energy beforehand.

What if my dog has to be on a leash?

You might not have guessed, but most of the dogs I photograph are on-leash, due to either leash laws or being not quite unreliable off leash. It's not nearly as big a problem as many people may think it is.

In order to give your dog freedom to move I always bring an extra-long line with me. Either their leash or long line will be edited out during post-production as part of my normal workflow.

A note about harnesses: In my experience harnesses can look distracting and generally detract from the overall photo. For that reason, I recommend taking the harness off for photos and then putting it back on when walking from location to location.

Keeping them calm for photos

Dogs have a lot of energy, and they're excited to be alive—that's part of what makes them so lovable! But when it comes to getting their picture taken, it can also be one of their biggest challenges.

What helps in these situations is giving your dog time to sniff around before the session. This gives them the chance to get some excess energy out and allows them to satisfy their curiosity and then focus on you instead of everything else going on around them. You can check out my recommendations above to help your dog find the correct energy levels for a photoshoot.

What to wear

If you're new to the whole dog photography thing, or if you're just not sure how to dress for photos with your dog, you might find this blog post helpful. It's packed with tips on how to dress for photos with your dog, and we can also look at some examples together.

I’m Here to Help

Your pet deserves to be pampered and photographed as the star they are.

Pet photoshoots are a great way to spoil your companion and memorialize their beauty. Just picture the special memories that you will be able to relive whenever you see your pet's photos. Contact me today to get started.

How to Prepare Your Dog for a Photo Shoot