Summer is a great time for those outdoor portraits with man’s best friend and other pets. Pet portraits is a subject we don’t touch on very much. For most pet owners their pampered pet is a family member frequently added to those family portraits. It’s up to us to know just how to include them in the mix. This can at times be a trial, so we’ve come up with some helpful tips and poses to make it a fun session for all involved.
A few helpful tips for dealing with pets:
- Talk to your client before hand to learn a bit about the pet.
- If you can even visit the animal yourself.
- Treats are a must but check with the owner about their preferred kind of treat first, as with people animals can be picky, the owner may also have a preference to an allowed treat.
- Be patient and plan extra time for sessions with pets.
- Dogs-Get active first. Having your client play with the pet and grabbing those action shots will also help tire pooch out alittle. This will help once it comes times for posed shots.
- Have an extra helper either a member of your staff or someone familiar with the animal to give a hand.
- Squeaky toys are great to get the animal to look at the camera, but don’t be surprised when they come bounding to the object.
- Catnip- Can be a blessing in disguise for getting great unexpected kitty shots.
- Props- Baskets, Boxes etc not only make cute images, they help occupy the furry subjects.
Here a re a few fun poses for pets with their families:
- Hugs- Hugging the pet is not only a cute pose, it also contains the animal.
- Dual expressions-Sitting pet and owner side by side, have your client make a surprised face, eyebrows raised. Then using a squeak toy invoke the same response from the pet.
- Holding the pet.
- Client kneeling with pet.
- Client standing with pet on leash.
- Pet kisses.
- Client laying on side facing you with pet laying in front.
- Nose to nose, pet with owner.
- Looking up- Capture your client and pet looking up at you from a good distance.
These are just a few tips, as with any session..take your time, have fun with it and use each session as a learning experience!
