Three Reasons Why You Should
This question is often heard by professional dog and pet photographers from prospective clients. It is a fair question, and I would have asked my future photographer self this question 20 years ago.
We have all captured fun, cute, adorable, (I can go on with the adjectives) with our cell phones or point and shoot cameras. We are quick to pull up these photos as soon as someone asks, “What kind of dog do you have?”
Don’t get me wrong, these pictures turn out well when you look at them on a small screen, but they can be even better!
Have you ever tried to take one of those cell phone images and make it into a 5"x 7" or larger print? They start to get blurry; they look a little grainy. These cameras have limitations, and unfortunately the limitations are very prominent in prints.
These pictures are also candid and not in the best photographic environment. Look at it this way if these pictures were of your child or significant other you most likely would not hang them. Instead, you would have professional photos done.
Let us explore three valid reasons why your dog deserves to have professional portraits done.
1. Our Beloved Dog or Pet Doesn’t Live Forever
WARNING: Get some tissues, then proceed.
Believe it or not our precious family members don’t live as long as we want them to. It is vital to capture their pictures before it is too late.
I am speaking from experience.
My first two dogs as an adult were Jack Russell Terriers named Moose and Kenai. They were my everything and I hoped they would live forever. Sadly, they did not.
I lost Moose unexpectedly when I was on a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. Kenai, I lost years later just shy of his 18th birthday.
I have a ton of pictures of them from my cell phone or point shoot camera.
However, I only have one professional framed picture of them together and this was accidental. A friend and photojournalist took a picture of them while I was on a deployment and framed it for me. I cherish this photo and will for the rest of my life. It also makes me wish I had more professional pictures of Moose and Kenai!!!
This loss of Moose and Kenai was one, if not the driving factor for me to start this business. I want to make sure other pet parents have amazing portraits of their dogs to last a lifetime.
Thankfully, Kenai was around when I started this photography journey and I was able to practice with him.
Below is my favorite picture I took of Kenai.
2. Pet Photography is Fine Art
This concept might be difficult to believe, but it is true. Your dog deserves to be the subject of fine art.
Fine art and professional photographers go hand in hand. A professional photographer can create gallery quality images because they have spent a great amount of time mastering the craft.
The professional photographer understands light, color and composition and how it impacts an image.
The equipment a professional photographer uses includes capabilities far beyond cell phones and point shoot cameras. This allows final images to be clear, crisp, colorful, detailed and capture amazing action shots.
They also have mastered skills with various tools to enhance the images further. These skills include but are not limited to removing color casts from fur and can even remove the dirt from your dog’s eyes. This is needed when the picture is made into a 40”x 60” acrylic wall art. Printing an image this large is not possible with the limitations of cell phone and point and shoot cameras.
You can still keep the thousands of pictures on your cell phone but compliment them with stunning museum quality images that will decorate your home or office.
Below is my favorite example of how pet photography is Fina Art.
Hieke is stunning against this background.
3. A professional pet photographer knows how to work with your pet
Sure, any professional photographer can photograph your dog. However, a pet photographer specializes in a particular animal and knows how to work with them.
This is the same for a photographer who specializes in senior portraits. They are experts in posing young adults for the best portraits. This is something I have limited experience with and defer to the experts in the field.
I can’t speak for every pet photographer but most of us have years of experience working with dogs. This is usually through our own personal experience with our family pets.
However, many of us have experience as professional dog trainers. This experience is invaluable!
Our work as trainers allowed us to experience every type of dog behavior. We have worked with fearful, shy, outgoing, reactive dogs and the list goes on.
This experience makes us the perfect person to photograph your dog. We understand your dog’s body language and recognize when your dog is stressed or uncomfortable.
This knowledge ensures your dog’s portrait session is positive and stress free. The results are amazing pictures you will love for a lifetime.
Let’s get your four legged family member some amazing portraits!
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