Who doesn't love a furry little pet in their engagement portraits!?!?! A lot of couples choose to have their pet (usually a dog) in their engagement portraits. They may have gotten the pet together or they would like to include in a pet since it will be part of their combined family after the wedding. I am a huge animal lover so I am always down for photographing pets with the engagement session.
Here are 5 tips to keep in mind to keep your pet happy and you sane during your engagement session with a pet.
1. Choose a location that isn't distracting or full of people or traffic.
When you starting thinking about your engagement session with your pet you will want to start thinking of locations that would be good for your pet. A busy park or a area on a high traffic street isn't your best bet. Pets are easily distracted by people and if for some reason your pet got loose then a busy street is a disaster waiting to happen. If you are not sure of a secluded location, ask your photographer, they will be able to help you come up with a great spot. After you have taken some portraits with your pet then you can move to a different location, if you wish.
2. Bring along a person to assist and watch the pet.
This is super important! You will want to bring along someone who can watch and take care of your pet during your portraits. They can hold the pet when we are just taking couple portraits, they can give the pet water, and they can walk/play with them if they are getting rambunctious. They can even take the pet back home after their part of the session is done. This way you can continue on with your session without having to worry about your pet.
3. Bring treats and water.
Especially if it is a hot day outside, bring along some water so your pet can stay hydrated. Bringing along a few treats is also a good idea so the photographer can bribe the pet to look at the camera, if necessary.
4. Bring a leash.
Most parks and public places require pets to be on a leash at all times. If we are taking a photo where the leash will be in the way then we can slip it off for the photo and then put it back on.
5. Play/walk your pet before the session.
If you try to walk your pet or give them a quick play time before your session this will help wear them out so when they get to the location they will not want to run around.
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Wedding Wednesday (formerly Monday Wedding Madness) is a blog series that occurs every Wednesday and answers the questions you have about wedding photography. Have a question you would like to have answered or something that you wish you would have known before your wedding or are you a wedding professional who would like to contribute? Send your questions to jasmine@jasminenorris.com.
