Bringing Pets to Your Engagement Session

Our pets grow to be a part of our families. Our dog , Maverick, has been with us for 12 years and is considered our third child. To want to include them in your engagement session is only natural. We want to celebrate the relationship between the couple and their pets. Sometimes, though, pets can be a huge distraction during the session if some important steps are not taken. Here are some of our top tips for including your fur-babies in your portrait sessions.

Let Your Photographer Know

Some photographers have a very strict no pet policy. This means they will not take pictures of couples with pets under any circumstances. To see if yours does, make sure to ask or read your contract. Other photographers (like us) love including pictures with pets but only if they are disclosed before the session. This ensures the photographer brings the proper equipment and supplies. 

Accessories for Your Pets

We never thought of this before, but we just had a shoot with a beautiful couple and their two awesome dogs. They were beautifully coordinated and even their dogs leashes matched their outfits. This little touch made their session even more special and didn’t distract with garish mismatched colors.

Bring a Wrangler

Pets usually don’t stay for the whole session. We have found that pets last for about 20 minutes before they start to get bored. During this time, a pet wrangler can be invaluable. They will help to ensure the pets stay put and keep them distracted during the session. At the end of it, you can hand off your pets to the wrangler to take them home. 

Bring Treats

This is another benefit to disclosing pets before the session. We can find out what is your pets favorite treats and bring some along. This helps to ensure your pets have something to look forward to for being good at the session. In addition, treats allow the photographer to build a relationship with the pets so they can respond better, in turn providing you better photographs.

With just some practical steps, bringing your pets to a photo session can be a great experience and add a lot of personality to your photographs. To see how you can incorporate your pets into your wedding read this Blog Post and subscribe to our newsletter. 

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