When should you get professional pet portraits
The three times to get photos of your pets.
If you feel that pets are part of the family, then you know the connection you have with your pet is really important. When my wife and I adopted our first dog, Toby, there was a real shift in our lives. There was Before Toby, and After Toby. We had no idea how much better our lives would be after we adopted him. Toby is the reason I started photographing dogs and other animals and took the idea of being a pet photographer seriously.
Toby was a good model, but he wasn't always wild about getting his photos taken. He would often turn his head away when I picked up the camera.
Why is pet photography important?
Nearly everyone had a phone in their pocket today with a camera that can take really nice photos. I suspect you've got a large collection of photos of your pets on your phone right now and would rather delete some older apps than delete any of those photos. That's okay, you should be taking photos every day with your dogs. They are always cute or doing something worth capturing. But those photos don't go very far. They stay on your phone or your computer. Maybe you'll make a slideshow or video. Maybe you'll make a small album, and all of that is great.
A professional photo session will be something extra special that you'll really love having. You'll be able to have prints as works of art that you can hang up and have longer than you'll have most anything else you own. Photography is how we mark the important parts of our lives. It's how we look back and know how great our lives are, even when we feel we are struggling or just getting by.
But days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to years. When should you think about getting photos of your pets?
1) When you first get your pet
When you first get your pet, it's a great place to start. Whether you get a newborn or adopt an adult, it's a new life, and your old life has changed. There may be a transition but it's a fleeting moment so if you can capture that, I highly recommend it.
Lennon's first year photos. He came in once a month for a year.
2) In their prime
When your pet is in their prime is great. It could be earlier, 2 or 3 years old, or a little later, 6-8. This is when your pet is confident, steady and full of energy. You have a strong bond by now and you want to celebrate that.
3) When they are seniors
When you're pets are getting older, they have some grey on their face and would rather just hang out on the couch than going for a long walk. This can be the hard one because the unthinkable is coming, and every day seems similar to the next. I want you to know that you've been the best pet parent your pet could ask for. You want to have these memories to keep them in your thoughts. It's good to get some great photos while they are still healthy and feeling good. I've had many pets come to me in their last weeks. I create beautiful photo,s but I don't want people to look back with regret, thinking they should have taken these photos sooner. Senior photos give them their dignity to be older dogs that are loved and cared for.
You can see my tribute to Toby on the gallery side of my site. I have photos of Toby printed and hanging in my home, and I will always have them. He was that special dog that no one can replace. (I love our current dogs too, but they are a lot of work)
