Yes, you do because I photograph dogs!
Yes, I photograph horses and cats, too...
...but dogs...
Here's the thing: I 100% love photographing all animals, and being able to do a session with a pet/horse and their person is just the best. But dogs. I love dogs. Dogs just make our lives better. They're family. If you see me driving with a big silly grin plastered on my face, you'll know I just saw someone walking a dog, and it made me smile. Don't ask me what the person looked like, but I'll be able to describe the dog!
Types of Sessions
As much as I used to love trekking through wooded trails and wandering through fields to capture the best photo of your dog, I have to admit that ticks have really curbed my enthusiasm for such locations. I can only imagine that they've curtailed some of your favourite outdoor activities, too. The photos above were taken in what I'd consider to be some safer locations, so sessions outdoors are still totally on the books, but with extra care taken to our environment.
Since my main genre is portraiture, doing a session in my home studio can be the perfect choice. If your pup (I call all dogs pups, by the way, regardless of age or size) is silly or hyperactive, there's a good yard outside to do a walk-around before coming in. The studio area is closed off from the rest of the house by a door, and it's quiet, so puppers can sniff around and relax there. (They can also jump on the furniture if they want!) All I ask for studio portraits is that they be house trained and not inclined to become aggressive in smaller areas, like in a room with a stranger (me) and their person (you). If house training hasn't happened yet, I can (a) cover the floor with some protection (Oh, I have big sheets of that!), or (b) we can do the portrait in The Shedio. (Ask me and I'll tell you!)
Am I qualified to photograph your dog? Yes.
In addition to 50 or so years of being around all kinds of dogs and 30+ years of camera handling , a few years ago I joined the Professional Photographers of Canada association and started working towards professional level accreditations in some areas which were of most importance to me. One of my accreditations is in Canine Portraits and another in Portraiture for their people. Of course, accreditations are not enough on their own, so me being me and loving learning, I'm always fine tuning my techniques, brushing up the older skills and completing tutorials that will help my dog photography and all my portraiture in general.
What can you expect when you sign up for a session?
I'm going to bullet point this answer!
- That I will talk to you about any concerns. ( Leashes can stay on. Hyper dogs are just fine! )
- That I will determine if your dog is safe for me to photograph. (The only time I've been snapped at, the pupper weighed less than our cat!)
- We'll talk about if your dog is OK to do a session. ( A pup that is full of anxiety may need to meet me in advance, need a familiar home location and be photographed in natural light with no added flash.)
- We'll decide on the best location for your dog. (It might be your back yard.)
- If your pup has any little tricks or quirks that you'd like to see if I can catch, we'll make note of those.
- We'll talk about how you'd like to display your images. ("I just want the digitals" is not the answer at all as we're all about prints and displaying those prints. The accompanying digitals sized to share online can live in your phone, though.)
- We'll check to see if pupper has a nice collar that won't be too noticeable. Leashes can usually be removed in editing unless they are wrapped around a hand, but body harnesses and collars remain on.)
- If, and I hope you are, going to be in the session, too, we can talk about your wardrobe, as well!
- You can expect me to answer any questions you may have leading up to the session, whether it be about pricing, wardrobe, location, or which collar/lead will work best. If you don't hear from me in 24 hours, please try again as that would be most unusual.
- You'll receive email notice seven days and one day before the session. If we're doing an outside session, the day before I'll take a look at the weather and you can decide, if rain or a lot of snow seems too much of a possibility, if you'd like to reschedule.
