Ever tried taking photos of your dog?
It’s tricky, isn’t it?
But no album that has your family in it is ever complete without pictures of your cute little dog.
I am going to tell you how you can overcome obstacles of taking perfect pictures of your dog.
You pose perfectly for your instagram shot, and yet it takes many takes to get the perfect photo that you share with the world.
Imagine how would it go if you try to take your dog’s picture.
Their impulsiveness makes us pull our hairs, sometimes.
But there are things that you can do to change that.
Here are my few tips that may help you in preparing your dog for the perfect photoshoot.
Step 1: Bath em up!
As a first step, make your dog look presentable because as soon as you put him in your family album, it is going to stay there forever.
A shower day before photoshoot will make you dog really clean and adorable. A shower will also energize your dog and studio owner won’t have to worry about a messy dog stepping in his studio.
Use the soap and shampoo your dog likes, and you are good to go.
Step 2: Comb em up!
If you have the skills, do it yourself, or you can take help of an expert groomer if you want him to look absolute sharp.
As you would never go for a photo session without properly grooming, why not your dog do the same?
This video should help.
Step 3: Train it up before photoshoot
Now you have him ready. It’s now time to help him learn your commands so that it won’t disappoint you at the studio.
2-3 days before you visiting your photographer, you can rephrase the situation using your camera. And each time you get a perfect shot, you can offer a treat.
If you have more time, you can go above and beyond ordinary photo session and teach your pet to pose like models.
Trust me, I am not kidding, check out this video.
Step 4: Make your dog feel comfortable before the shoot.
Before taking your puppy to shoot, a gentle massage would help it relax and cope up with stress that comes with facing the camera.
Photography aside, massaging your dog will strengthen bonding between you guys like no other activity.
Here is an excellent resource on how to massage your dog.
Step 5: Physical Activity
If massaging does not work for your dog, try exercise.
As with humans, exercise will release happiness hormones in your dog’s brain.
And a happy dog is an obedient dog.
Here is helpful infographic by fitpaw that might help.
Step 6: Setting up the studio
If you are doing it yourself, the large part of this challenge comes from preparing the place that you are going to use for taking photos.
Fill it up with favourite your dog’s favourite props. This will keep your dog in playful mode, and it will not feel anxious about lighting and gear.
In fact, you should take time to get him acquainted with that lighting setup and wires around him.
This video has amazing pet photography tips.
Parting words
It is difficult to digest the fact that dog photography is hard until you try it yourself. But with little planning and help, it is quite manageable.
If spending some money is not a big deal for you, then you can pretty much hire others to do stuff for you.
One last tip: Just take your dog to your photographer’s place for a casual meeting any day before photoshoot day. It will help the photographer understand the dog better and will make things easier on the shoot day.
Happy clicking.