Capturing Natural Pet Portraits: My Approach to Stress-Free Photography Sessions
During each of my photography sessions, I aim to create a relaxed and creative atmosphere where everyone—especially your pet—feels comfortable and has fun. One of the reasons I love photographing animals outdoors is because it’s such a natural setting. That environment helps your pet feel at ease, which in turn leads to portraits that genuinely reflect their personality.
Depending on where your pet is comfortable, we can have our session in a variety of settings.
I like to let your pet guide the session. If they love to run, we’ll capture them in motion. If they enjoy swimming, we’ll head to the water. By following their lead, I can ensure the final images showcase who they truly are. Of course, I also work to capture a variety of images, including more traditional posed portraits, but flexibility is key. If your dog isn’t feeling a certain pose or setting, we’ll adjust—either finding a new approach or shifting to something that suits them better.
Mako had a fun session at Jamestown Beach a few years ago. Mako is very active and when we first started the session, he was not all that into the idea of standing still (I can’t blame him…there is water right there!) So we pivoted and encouraged Mako to enjoy the beach. What resulted were these amazing, fun, and personality-filled images!
Levi is a sweet mama’s boy who did not want to stray too far from his person. So, we went with it and ended up with some of the sweetest images!
Lovable Lola was a little nervous at the start of our session, so we gave her some extra time to warm up. I also photographed her with a longer lens so she felt like her space was respected and she could still be herself.
Before the session, I always consult with you to understand your vision and how you plan to use the photos. This helps me tailor the experience to match your expectations and create images you’ll truly love!
Moments in Focus
Meet Hummus!
(Yes…best name ever!)
Hummus is a sweet black lab puppy. He is currently being trained for a very important job!
Hummus is a part of Canine Companions in Williamsburg, VA.
[Canine Companions] “provides service dogs to adults, children, and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings.”
Hummus is being trained by the amazing @raising.puppies (IG). This is the third dog in training that I have photographed with @raising.puppies. Hummus will stay in his current home for about 18 months and then will move on to the next stage of training. I am lucky enough to be able to photograph Hummus again at 18 months and see how he has grown.
Fun Fact…Hummus is the son of the last dog I photographed for @raising.puppies…Gage. We also photographed Gage as a pup and at 18 months.
Check out Gage’s puppy images at the end of this post.
The type of job Hummus will hold will be determined when he is older. Now he is just focusing on learning great puppy manners!
Visit https://canine.org/about/who-we-are/ for more info on Canine Companions!
*Top Row: Gage
*Bottom Row: Hummus
Follow us on social media @sweetelliephotos or send me a note here
Follow Hummus @raising.puppies
Follow Canine Companions @canineorg