Few moments in life are more exciting than bringing home a new puppy! It also happens to be the perfect time to a book a photography session for your brand new family member. I know what you’re thinking: how could we possibly get great photos of this hurricane on four legs?

Trust me, I totally get it. Puppies are a ton of work. They’re wild, they go through weird phases, they can’t be trusted off-leash. They’re a lot. But, while you’re wrapped up in the day to day, your puppy will grow and change so much that first year it’ll be over in a blink of an eye. And when you look back the only thing you’ll have to remind of you or your once delightfully tiny puppy are your photos. (And maybe some chewed up furniture. 😄)

You’ve already got your hands full and I can help. From planning and logistics to super convenient gallery delivery—I handle everything. All you need to do is show up and have fun playing with your new puppy.

Just take it from Jen and her 10 week old border collie, Wink! Follow along on their session from start to finish.

Finding The Perfect Location

Before our session I sent Jen a questionnaire which helped me get to know her, Wink, the types of images she’s looking for and if she had any special requests. Because Wink was so young, she didn’t have all her shots it yet, so it was important to find a location that met the following criteria: pretty (of course!), plenty of scenic variety, and wasn’t heavily trafficked by other dogs.

Boulder is convenient for both Jen and me, but due to the above mentioned concerns I felt like Boulder’s popular Open Space would probably be too busy with other dogs. During my research I came across the CU Boulder campus and was immediately drawn to its abundant leafy trees, green space, and of course, the beautiful architecture.

Because I’d never worked at this location before I took my own dogs out on a couple of scouting trips at various times of day to find the best light and gauge how busy it was. After running it by Jen she thought it was perfect! She opted for a sunset session since it fit well with Wink’s schedule.

Safety first

Not only does the CU Boulder campus require dogs to be leashed, but I feel like it’s always a good idea for unpredictable puppies in unsecured locations. I brought several different long lines and slip leads of varying lengths to choose from so Wink would be able to move freely, but still be safely contained and make sure we obeyed leash laws. For this session Jen arrived super prepared with her own thin collar and long lead. After her session I removed them both when editing her photos.

Here’s a little before and after…

What I loved about this session

I’m all about connection and I loved capturing the interaction between the two of them. During our time together I encouraged Jen to interact with Wink and then I would step back to give them space to play, cuddle and hang out.

When working with puppies I feel like it’s critically important to make sure their first experiences out in the world are positive ones—and photo shoots are no exception! I build in lots of time for breaks: to sniff, explore, rest, and watch the world go by. Wink was amazing to work with: energetic, curious, sweet and extremely playful. All things that I love about working with puppies.

Also, we need to take a quick second to talk about how adorable Wink is! 10 weeks of soft puppy fur, tiny toe beans and crazy cute ears. She’s absolutely darling.

What Jen Loved About Her Experience

“Puppies have pretty short attention spans so going into the session I wasn’t sure how we were going to get great photos of a wiggly puppy or keep her attention for a full photo shoot. I brought a variety of treats and toys which helped but Allison was so awesome to work with! We took breaks during the session so my puppy didn’t get over tired and she had a bunch of fun noises at the ready to get Wink to look at the camera. She also had a perfect suggestion of where to go for the shoot which made for beautiful backdrops! As a result the puppy had fun, Allison got some wonderful photos and I had a ton of great shots to choose from!”

Wink’s Finished gallery

It takes me about 7 to 10 days to edit a client’s session. Editing is where the images really come to life. Along with adding vibrancy, cropping and sharpening, I also remove leashes and any distracting background elements (like people), clean up any flyaway hairs and do some minor skin retouching. This way the final gallery is absolutely flawless.