🐾 Before & After: The Power of Editing in Pet Photography
Pet photography is all about capturing the spirit, personality, and quirks of our furry friends. But, capturing the moment is only half the job. The other half happens after the session—during editing, where raw images are refined into stunning portraits.
In this post, I’ll take you behind the scenes to show how editing enhances your pet’s personality, corrects distractions, and transforms good images into gallery-worthy art.
🐾 Why Editing Matters in Pet Photography
Pets don’t pose like people. They move quickly, get distracted easily, and often have unique fur textures, colors, or eye reflections that can challenge even the best camera settings.
Editing isn’t about making pets look “perfect”—it’s about making the image feel real, intentional, and emotionally resonant. Here's what post-processing allows us to do:
Correct lighting or exposure issues
Remove distractions in the background
Bring out detail in fur and eyes
Adjust color tones for warmth and clarity
Enhance mood or style (e.g., soft, dreamy, vibrant, dramatic)
🐕 Wrapping Up: Editing is Art, Not Deception
Some people worry that editing "fakes" a photo, but in pet photography, it's all about enhancing reality, not replacing it. A well-edited photo still reflects the real pet—just with the distractions removed and their personality front and center.
Whether it’s removing a leash, adjusting fur color to match real life, or bringing light into a shadowy eye, editing is an essential part of telling your pet’s story in the most beautiful way possible.
🐾 Ready to book a session?
Or curious about how your pet's photos can be brought to life through editing?
Let’s chat!
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!