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In this post I’ll tell you how an actual dog photography session works.

By the time the big day arrives we will already gone over the basics such as location, what you are expecting out of the shoot, information about your dog and family, and hopefully I will have answered any questions you may have. So now it is the big day!  

Hopefully you’ve arrived here after you have read the post about what happens when you make an inquiry about your dog photography session in the Toronto area.

Meet and Greet

Firstly will meet at our chosen location. I’ll recognize you because by now I’ve probably already seen a picture or two of your dog and  know his or her breed and colouring.  You’ll know me because I tell you to look out for the lady with a camera. I’ll make friends with your pup so they can smell me and get to know me and my camera with its big lens.  And we are ready to go!

Ready for the photoshoot

Think about the photo session as a walk with your dog on a lovely day.  You just happen to have a photographer with you.  On our way I’ll look out for great spots where the lighting is good and I can bring some interest to the photo. On our walk I will be looking out for flowers, rocks, logs, benches, interesting buildings and other great spots where I can photograph your dog.  Talking about rocks, here is Harper at one of my favourite places for dog photography in Toronto, photographed amongst the flowers and lying on a lovely big rock. Did I mention that I love photos of dogs on rocks? One of the reasons that I choose this place for photo sessions is because of the large amount of rocks on which I can place the dogs.

At the start of the session your pup may be super excited about being in a new place or at their favourite place, if that is where we have chosen for your shoot. It takes a while for the pup to settle down.  That is why it is a good idea to arrive about 10 minutes before the start of our shoot to give the pup time to become comfortable in the surroundings and tune into you because I’ll be asking you to give them some cues such as sit, lay down and stay. Don’t worry if your dog is not familiar with these cues, I work with any dogs no matter how well trained!

Getting the shot

I know you want to make sure your pup behaves, but while we do hope that the dog will sit or stand or lay down in a certain place, we will never force your dog to do anything or go anywhere they are not comfortable with!  If they don’t want to sit, we will capture them standing, that is okay too - we will capture them the way they are most comfortable.  You should never stress about your dog not co-operating! This is about you having a great time too. So relax and go with the flow. The main goal is to capture your pup’s personality and just being themselves.

What is your role?

While we are walking I will explain to you what I would like you to do, which is basically help to handle your pup, hold the leash in a certain way, perhaps when to throw a ball, or to stand behind me and act silly! Your dog will listen to you and follow your cues best, so you will definitely be taking an active role.

Hopefully you will be in some of the photos too! Capturing the special bond between you and your pup is one of my goals and you will never regret having some photos of the two (or three or four...) of you together. These memories will last a lifetime and provide you with great family photos for your picture frames and walls, or images for your album.

Sometimes I get people on the rocks too. Here are Harper and his Mom enjoying some time together during their photo session, while I snapped photos of them sitting on a rock.

Finishing the session

After an hour or so we will have a great variety of shots and your pup will be pretty tired out! It is hard work for them having to stay in a certain place, look at the camera, listen to your cues.  I’ll take a few moments to remind you of my next steps and when to expect your professionally edited proofs. I will usually have some examples of products such as wall art or an album to show you.  Then you can sit back and relax while I work on editing your photos to bring out the best in them and your pup!

On-location photoshoots will always provide a great variety of shots and bring out the unique character of your pup.

If you have any questions please go ahead and contact me for a free consultation. There is no pressure to book a session, just all your questions answered.

If you are not yet ready to book your on-location dog photography session in the Toronto area, you are welcome to get a free renaissance style portrait of your dog or cat by signing up here. Then once you’ve signed up simply drop me a quick email to find out how to get your portrait.

This post is part of a 52 week pet photography project with pet photographers from around the world. The theme is “dogs on rocks”. Yes, I know this post was really more about pet photography sessions, but I was excited to share some photos from a recent photo shoot with Harper the Labradoodle on the rocks! To enjoy more images of dog on rocks take a look at Pawparazzi Pet and Animal Photography presented by Shae Pepper Photography.