Let’s talk pets and family photos!!

It’s pretty evident… pets are a part of your family, so why shouldn’t they be part of your family pictures, too? They bring such a fun a loving atmosphere to your photos as well as some funny and spirited moments!

You might be thinking, “buuuuut you haven’t met our puppy!!”

Yes, photos with pups can be a bit… unpredictable. Well, we have a couple of tips below to help a family photo session with dogs feel a lot less chaotic.

We don’t recommend having them be part of the entire session. In our experience, family photos with a dog tend to feel less chaotic to parents when their pup is only a smaller portion of the session. This way you can make some fun and meaningful memories with the four-legged family member, but allow yourself to relax and be in the moment for the rest of the session and not focus on your dog’s behavior. Believe it or not, dogs at sessions can take up quite a bit of mental space.  Typically we recommend including your pet for a few minutes at the beginning or the end of the session.

Have a good plan for what to do with your pet when they’re not in pictures. Although it seems like a great idea just to bring the dog along and maybe tie them off to a tree during photos… we’ve found this isn’t always the best choice.  Most often what happens when your pet is tied off to a nearby tree is that the sweet lil pup gets animated and vocal about seeing you but not being able to get to you and it causes a fair amount of distraction for families during photos. Some families choose to have another family member who is not part of the session at the shoot who can take their dog on a walk when they’re not needed in pictures. Some families keep their dog in the car (only you know if that’s a good solution for you and if the temperature is healthy for your pet).

Every pup is different, so definitely filter all these thoughts through what you know about your pet’s demeanor. No matter what, we’ll be ready to rock it out with ya!

Want to learn more about our family photo sessions? Check or our Portraits Page to learn more!