I wish pet photography was a thing back in the 90s. Or I wish it was as popular as it is now.

I didn’t become a photographer until 2016. I got my first dog as an adult in 1996 and I have a million bad photos of her. Most of them taken with disposable cameras. One of my biggest regrets is not having decent photos of her.

These days cellphones make it easy to take photos but most people do just an average or maybe even below average job of taking photos of their own dogs.

This is when a professional pet photographer is invaluable. Life is short. Your dog’s life is even shorter. I’d do almost anything to have photos like this of Sloan. Don’t have the same regret I do.

Here are 9 Reasons to Hire a Professional Pet Photographer:

1. Professional pet photographers have studied photography. They understand their camera, lighting, and editing. All are very important elements of taking a good an excellent photo.

2. Professional pet photographers will have a style. Google “pet photographers near me” and look at a few different photographers websites. You’ll see how different the styles are. Some are light and bright others are dark and moody. Find a photographer whose style you like.

3. Any dog photographer you hire should understand dog behavior. They should be able to read your dog’s body language to ensure that they’re capturing the essence of your dog’s personality.

4. A well prepared pet photographer will send you information prior to the photo shoot to help you prepare and help you answer questions like: Should you bring treats to the photo shoot? Can you be in some of the photos? How long with the photo shoot last? Does the location of the photo shoot matter? (yes!)

5. You can be in some of the photos. Even if you don’t want to be in every photo, I’ll bet one day you’ll look back on photos of the two of you together and be glad you were in some of them.

6. Pet photographers will be able to take action shots of your dog… something you can’t do with a cellphone.

7. Pet photographers will know tricks to get your dog’s attention. Many dog photographers I know are pretty skilled at making weird noises with their mouths. Many will have noise makers too such as duck calls, squeaky toys, or whistles.

8. Some pet photographers will offer studio photography. Not all pets are comfortable in a studio setting with large lights flashing so any photographers offering this service should ask questions about your dog’s personality to try and determine how he/she will do in a studio environment. A studio photo session in the air conditioning in the hot summer months in Charlotte NC is a nice option.

9. It’s fun! I’ve had several clients say to me at the end of the photo shoot: “This was fun! I didn’t realize I’d have such a good time.”

Having photos of your pet that you can treasure forever will be priceless one day. Trust me on that.

So what do you think? Are you ready to book a session? Or learn more? Fill out the Contact Form and I’ll be in touch.