Bringing your dog to your engagement photography shoot
Want to include your furry sidekick in your engagement photos ? Here are a few suggestions to help make this a fun experience for all of you!
As the mother to 3 furry canine kids pictured below, I am captivated with the idea of photographing the sweet personalities of my clients and their dogs during a portrait session.
Bringing your dog to your engagement photography shoot is a wonderful way to share what you love with the world. After a few years of covering weddings and engagements that have include wagging tails and lolling pink tongues I’ve put together a short list of tips that may help you and your fiancé plan ahead to ensure that your furry best friends are as happy as you two are on your photoshoot day.
First and foremost, our photoshoot location matters! Taking the time to honestly assess your dogs personality to ensure your dogs safety is priority number one. Some dogs are prone to spazzing out around crowds of people so in that case it would be best to make sure that we hold your engagement session in a quiet park setting vs. a city environment. At the end of the day, you know your dog best and I'm happy to go wherever you'd like to get the shots that mean the most to you as long as your confident that your dog will be comfortable with the energy level of the surroundings. Here in the Raleigh North Carolina area I have found that Harris Lake Park and Raven Rocks Park are my favorite locations to photograph my clients and their dogs due to the fact that dogs are allowed on the parks property. That being said if you'd like to go somewhere else for your engagement session please be sure to check with the property's rules and regulations ahead of time to make sure that you can bring your dog along with you to our photoshoot.
1. Bring at least one human friend if possible
Not every photo captured during your engagement session will include your dog which is why it is very helpful to have a good friend on hand to hold your dog while you and your fiancé have your portrait taken during certain shots. This is a far superior plan then tying your dogs leash to a random tree or having to concern yourself if that your dog might run off after a squirrel while your supposed to be “in the moment” for your photos. A friend who is good at getting the attention of your dog is especially helpful when there are so many distracting things that your pup may want to focus on.
2. Most of the time your dogs will only be included during half of your photo shoot
Because dogs are by nature generally restless creatures, expect that your dog will be included in half of the photoshoot, give or take a few shots. Determining which half is greatly dependent on logistics of time, cooperation with friends and location of the photoshoot area. An example might be to start taking the photos which include your dog in one area of a park while your wearing jeans and a nice shirt, then you and your fiancé can change into more formal outfits, leave your dog with your friend while we switch locations within the park for the last half of the shoot. Or we could shoot the first 30 mins of your engagement shoot and have someone bring your dog to meet us at a predetermined time for the 2nd half.
3. Wear your dog out
If your dog is anything like my own then you know how crazy they can get at playtime or when exploring new areas! Honestly my dogs think that squirrels and rabbits are Gods tennis balls and will take off after one like a shot. When to comes pet portraits the challenge lies in getting your dog to focus his or her attention on me when I need it. I have found that it’s a wonderful idea to make sure that your dogs have had plenty of time to run and get exhausted before we meet for the shoot. That being said, sometimes older dogs or dogs with a more relaxed disposition should be coaxed into playing a little during our photoshoot so that I can capture that impish sparkle in the eye. The idea is that we want your dog to be chill for your photos together. but not a zombie.
4. Bring wet naps
A particularly useful bit advice for the owners of Bulldogs, Pugs and Boxers is to bring baby wipes. My Bulldog Marty drools sometimes and occasionally does that thing where he shakes his head and the saliva flies everywhere like ghostbusters slime. Kinda cute but super gross. Hypoallergenic Baby wipes are wonderful for cleaning the wrinkles in your dogs face or wiping the drool off of his or her chin.
5. Toys
Treats and toys are a fantastic way for me to get the required attention of your dogs. An absurdly squeaky ball or noisy rubber chicken can a lifesaver!
6. Treats
If your dog is easily captivated by tasty treats, then it would be a huge help for you to pack a few of his or her favorites along. Preferably something dry like a biscuit or small treat that won’t induce the dreaded drool scenario, hah!
7. Most importantly, patience
When I first meet your dog and I am happy let him sniff me and get to know me a little better. Sometimes our furry friends can be a bit uneasy with the situation as a whole. Take the time to reassure your dog that everything is going to be ok if he or she seems nervous, extra head scratches, a belly rub and a treat can go a long way to put your furry friend at ease with the situation. I am perfectly fine with spending a little more time then usual with my clients who choose to bring their dogs with them so please don’t worry about staying within a time limit. Before too long your dog will be ready to go and we will be on our way to capturing some sweet moments with you, your fiancé and your best friend on four legs.
Thanks for taking the time to check out my work and If you have any questions in regards to this post or want to learn more about my flat rate engagement and wedding photography service please contact me anytime!
-S. Siko
Investment information regarding Silvercord Event Photography's Raleigh engagement and wedding photography price and service packages may be found here.