The Importance of Documenting Your Dog in Portraits
It is a wonderful thing that so many families I work with have dogs. And often, it comes as a surprise to parents that they can include the family pet in their portrait session. But why not? Dogs, by their nature, are very much a part of the family. And my Studio is perfectly set up not just for children, but for their furry friends, too.
In this post, you’ll discover why it’s so important to include your dog in the family photo session and all the fabulous reasons for doing so!
YOUR DOG IS YOUR BABY
Dogs aren’t just pets, but a beloved part of the family, often proceeding children or being the last child remaining once the kids go off to college. Many parents consider the family dog very much a part of the family, no different than the children they gave birth to. And it’s only fitting that we celebrate our dogs with proper portraits, too. You don’t leave them behind during family activities, and this is one of those situation where can can definitely be included.
DOGS TYPICALLY SPEND AT LEAST A DECADE WITH THEIR OWNER
The fact that dogs typically live for at least 10 years means we form really strong bonds with them. Not only do they offer unconditional love to us on a daily basis, but they also seem to completely understand our personalities, needs, and wants. Likewise, we grow to understand their personality as well, and treat them as we do other humans as a result. It’s very much like having a best friend that you get to spend every day with! The attachment is almost unparalleled, which means we naturally should have a record of it in photographs.
THEY UNFORTUNATELY DON’T LIVE FOREVER
Unfortunately, dogs do pass on and we are often left to mourn for them. But even after the fact, it brings us joy to remember our time together and appreciate the love we shared. Looking at photographs brings back wonderful memories and displaying those images in the home means we can reminisce every day about the pet we loved.
A PORTRAIT WHOLE FAMILY TOGETHER
Capturing a portrait of the whole family with the dog might be tricky because it involves so many moving parts. This is why it’s sometimes worth bringing in a professional for the job - someone who can make sure everyone looks good and capture that perfect photograph to be cherished forever. The other benefit of having the whole family in an image with the dog is that you can freeze time and immortalize how everyone looked during this time. Even better is having a series of images throughout the years of the family with the dog to track all the changes that took place.
CUSTOM ARTWORK THAT LOOKS GREAT IN YOUR HOME
And when it comes to displaying portraits in the home, photographs that are styled and curated always look better than everyday snapshots when enlarged on the wall. Some families shy away from having family photographs all over the house, and I completely understand wanting to keep things simple and organized, but creating a beautiful wall art display isn’t the same as hanging up an iPhone picture in a random corner. Portraits that are styled (yet completely natural) where everyone looks great are worth appreciating in a larger size, and we can plan and photograph for a specific area of the home. Not only that, we can bring the colors of your interior into the portrait so it looks seamless and completely custom - that’s the benefit of photographing in a Studio where you don’t have bright green grass or orange leaves infusing colors that are rarely found in homes.
Now that you know how important it is to include your pet in the family portrait session, you might be a bit concerned about how all of it actually works. The photo session itself is actually fairly typical - the only difference is that the dog (or dogs!) join in for the fun at the very end, for about 15 minutes or do. This way your pet doesn’t have to be in front of the camera for very long and the family is well-practiced at posing at that point, so everyone knows what to do.
It’s usually great fun and very similar to photographing a toddler, which is both unpredictable and thrilling. Some of the ways you can help the process go smoothly is by bringing in dog treats or a favorite toy that would get your pet’s attention. Otherwise, I am well equipped to photograph quickly and get that perfect family shot under less than perfect conditions.
