Have any questions about pet photography? Want to know how to get them to cooperate during the shoot?
Erin Hession is here to tell us all about pet photography! Erin Hession Photography launched in 1994, and specializes in weddings. However, Erin is very talented and can shoot just about anything. She loves pets, and so pet photography is something she enjoys doing, though weddings are her number one specialty.
What are your top 5 tips on photographing pets?
1. Make sure you do your homework ahead of time and find out the kind of breed you’ll be photographing and what its disposition is like.
2. Choose a location based on what will be most comfortable for the pet.
3. Allow plenty of time to pose and work with the pets.
4. Bring a 2nd person with you to help handle the pet and its needs throughout the photo shoot.
4. Bring toys, treats, a lint roller, a portable water bowl and bottled water with you to keep the pet happy and hydrated throughout the session!
Do you have limits on which pets you photograph? We typically photograph common household pets, such as dogs, cats, and horses. I love pets so I’ve never really limited what we’ll shoot; however, I’ve never been asked to photograph a snake or something like that, that’s probably where I’d draw the line.
Do you have certain locations as to where you take pet pictures? I typically like to photograph pets where they’re most comfortable. Cats typically need to be photographed in their home, where they’re familiar with their surroundings. If a dog is involved in a photo shoot, I’ll ask the owner ahead of time what kind of dog it is, what it’s like around people and loud noises and how distracted it can get when it sees other people.
I have a few favorite locations around Indy that are secluded, such as Holcomb Gardens, where there aren’t a lot of cars and people around so dogs can focus on looking at me when I’m trying to get their attention.
Some pet owners prefer photos that are more urban looking so we’ll go downtown to take photos of them with their dogs, but some dogs are too excited around new people or they get scared at loud noises so they can’t focus on me and it makes for a more difficult session.
You also have to be considerate about the time of year in your region. Indiana summers can be very hot and most dogs don’t do well in the heat for that long. We try to find shade and cooler locations for them or suggest that they take the photos during the Spring or Fall when it’s cooler outside.
How do you get pets to cooperate? When I first meet the client’s pet, I approach it very slowly and with a hand out so that it can sniff me. I usually bend down to the pet’s level and talk sweetly to it so that it knows it can trust me and that I’m an animal person.
Some breeds are just excited and happy to sniff a new person so they jump up and love on me right away, but others are more timid so you’ll have to adjust your approach depending on the breed of your subject. I usually don’t let it see my camera at first too, instead, I’ll let it just sniff me so we can bond a little bit.
I always bring treats with me too, we’ve found that most dogs really love the Natural Choice Crunchy Treats
, especially the ones that smell like blueberries. We become fast friends when they realize that I have treats! Once I introduce the camera and take a few shots, I’ll have my assistant hold the treats next to my face so that the dog is constantly looking at the camera throughout the session.
Sometimes if I’m having a hard time getting the pet to look at me, I’ll start making sounds to get their attention. I’ve even been known to meow like a cat and that usually produces the cutest and funniest reactions from dogs.
What do you tell owners before sessions to prepare pets for the session? I usually suggest that their pets get groomed ahead of time so that they’re camera-ready, and to bring anything with them that they’d like photographed with the pet.
Sometimes we photograph pets with their favorite toys so they need to pack those items, and bring them with them to the photo shoot. If the pet is a picky eater, I also suggest bringing their own treats so that the pet cooperates. Also, we suggest that the pet is well rested beforehand so that it’s happier throughout the session.
What all do you do differently in a session where a pet is involved than when one is not? We allow extra time for sessions with pets, knowing that it might take extra time to pose the pet where we want them in photos and it may take extra coercing to get them to do what we want them to do.
We also pack a squeaky toy, treats, a lint roller, props (if the client is into that),
a portable water bowl and extra bottled water so that the client knows that we will take care of their pets as if they were our own during their photo session.
We purchased our portable water bowl at Three Dog Bakery in Indy, they are rubber collapsible bowls that you can clip onto your camera bag, Shootsac or small cooler. You can purchase them online here!
In your opinion, how popular is pet photography right now, like could you just solo do pet photography? I think more and more people are having pet photos taken, or they are at least including them in their own portrait sessions and I love it! Pets are part of our lives and bring us so much happiness, why not include them?
I don’t think we could make a living just on pet photography but I feel that it’s a good supplement to our wedding and portrait income and they’re a lot of fun!
How long is a session? I usually block 90 minutes to 2 hours for sessions that include pets, it just depends on our schedule and how many pets are involved.
What all do you give them? We give them all of their photos on a password-protected website, a folio of 8 4x5s, a 5×7 and then they also have the option to purchase the image CD for an additional fee as well as canvases, albums, enlargements, etc.
If a family wants to incorporate the pet but not have the pet be in all of the pictures, how do you handle that, what do you do with the pet while the family gets their pictures taken? There’s always 2 or 3 of us at every photo shoot so whoever is side-shooting or assisting me that day will hold the leash while we continue to photograph the family without the pet. It’s definitely a multi-person job, especially when pets are involved.
Erin Hession-Wooton Blog| Website | Facebook
