How to include pets in family photos
Have you ever met a white Pyrenean mountain dog? I hadn’t either until I showed up for this family’s at home newborn session. I think it’s so important to think about including pets in family photos. And while it might be hard to get them to cooperate, I do have a certain way of doing things to get them calm and settled enough to sit still for one or two group shots.
Here are some tips on how you can get your dogs to cooperate
- make sure they know a few simple commands like sit and stay or lie down.
- give them a big brushing and some attention
- take them for a big walk
- when your photographer arrives, introduce the dog to the photographer at the beginning of the session. Get all that friendly energy out of the way first up. I typically photograph pets toward the end of the session after they have calmed down.
- make the dog the focus of the photo, have you and your kids wrap their arms around them
- be patient, it can take a little bit of time but is very rewarding
Here are some photos from Ally and Ian’s newborn session. Their home was nothing short of marvellous and I felt very lucky to be able to use it as the backdrop to their family photos. Ian designed and built his own home. You can definitely see the care and thought that he put into every aspect of the home.
If you are thinking of having an at home family session and would like to include your pets, get in touch! I’d love to talk to you about how we can incorporate them into your photos and design your family session to suit you.
