I know for a lot of dog owners they would love to have a pawtrait of their beloved member of the family to adorn the family home. So if you have made the commitment to have a pet photography shoot there are a few things you can do to get the best results.

• Take your dog for a short walk to ensure they have done all toileting before getting to the shoot. You don’t want your dog to spoil the lovely chosen site for the photography and cause issues for yourselves or the photographer, standing or lying in something that is not pleasant. Yes I get down low and do spend some time on my stomach or hands and knees.
  
• Ensure you have some water for your dog. The shoot is going to take an hour or so and for some dogs they need regular access to water.
  
• Ensure the dogs collar is in good condition as this will be in the photo. Be prepared to remove council and name tags as you don’t want these in your final image.
  
• Be flexible with your photography shoot time. You don’t want to be in the park trying to take photos with lots of other dogs around causing a distraction. Also you don’t want photos taken in the harsh mid day sun if you are having outdoor photos done.
  
• Give the photographer as much information regarding the habits of your dog and personality at the time of booking the pet photography shoot. This helps the photographer to select some good starting sites and props to use.
  
• If you are wanting to have your photo with the dog, wearing plain coloured clothes is best, so as not to create a busy image. Contrasting colours can work work well, such as blues with a tan dog. Black with a white dog and vice versa.