Recently, someone was watching us. And taking pictures.
And we learned some very interesting things. Like the reasons everyone needs a professional photographer to take pictures of their dogs.
Bucket List Item
I had a massive to-do list when we started selling our house and nearly everything we owned before moving onto the boat.
One of the items on the list? Arrange to have the photographer, Alice G Patterson, take pictures of Honey.
I had become aware of Alice’s work from following her sister Beth’s blog, Daily Dog Tag. Alice took charming shots of dogs and their people. And she lived just an hour north of our home in Ithaca, NY.
Unfortunately, I got overwhelmed with moving and it never happened.
But I had my second chance to fulfill this bucket list item when I read on Daily Dog Tag that Alice and Beth would be coming to the pet blogger conference, BlogPaws, in Myrtle Beach. And coincidentally, we’d be traveling there on our boat.
Yahoo!
We arranged a morning photo shoot in the marina we were staying in. It was a blast.
And I learned all kinds of reasons to hire a professional photographer to take dog pictures.
Why You Should Hire A Pro
Let’s start with the sad one and get it out of the way.
Your Dog Won’t Live Forever
I can’t believe Honey is seven years old. She’s already middle-aged. Or a little past it.
The saddest part of loving a dog is knowing we’ll have to say goodbye way too soon. And since life is so uncertain, don’t you want to have the best looking pictures to remember your dog by?
One of my greatest regrets is that the only picture I have of my first and beloved dog is a blurry, black and white photo of him as a puppy.
I’ve made a point of framing the best photo I have of each of my dogs. And having a professionally taken picture of Honey is the perfect way to honor our relationship and the love I have for her.
Okay, enough sad stuff. My mascara is melting. There are many other reasons to hire a professional photographer, like
You’ll Learn Some Things About Photography
Folks who have been following Something Wagging from the beginning know what a terrible photographer I am.
I’m sad to say I have relatively few cute pictures of Honey as a puppy. In part, because I’m a lousy photographer and many of them are blurry or poorly composed.
But also because Honey was a toothy little bitch and it’s hard to take good pictures when you have a demon puppy latched onto your sweater or thumb.
If you see a really good picture on the blog, chances are my husband took it.
But even he has a few things to learn from a pro.
For instance, when Alice started taking pictures of Honey on the boat, Mike whispered to me, “She’s taking pictures with the sun behind Honey. How is that going to turn out?”
I whispered back, “She’s a professional. She knows what she’s doing.”
As a result, we got these stunning pictures of Honey on the bow of the boat with the sun lighting up her fur like a halo.
And now my husband is experimenting with taking pics with the sun lighting his subject and trying to get effects half as nice as those Alice got.
But it wasn’t only photography we learned about.
You’ll Learn About Yourself
I’ve never liked having my picture taken. If a camera comes out, I feel incredibly awkward.
But Alice was very relaxed and she kept the photoshoot relaxed too. So I didn’t feel quite as awkward. Until Alice asked me to kiss Honey on the head or give her a squeeze.
I love Honey. I kiss her on the head all the time.
Enough that if you look closely, you’ll see a faint lipstick stain on her forehead.
But EVERY. SINGLE. PICTURE. of me trying to show affection looks awkward.
Pictures of Mike and me holding hands look like we just met, not that we’ve been married twenty-eight years.
I’ve always known that I feel uncomfortable expressing affection. But having the photographic evidence? Well, let’s just say this is a definite growth area for me to work on.
You’ll Learn New Things About Your Dog
Before the photoshoot, Alice sent me a questionnaire to help her think about the photographs she’d be taking.
She asked about any special objects Honey loves or things she likes to do.
I told Alice that I definitely wanted some shots of Honey rolling on the grass. It’s something she loves to do.
In fact, Honey does it every time she leaves the boat.
Wouldn’t you know that no matter what, Honey would not roll while Alice was there?
I just learned that for Honey, rolling on her back is something she saves for family.
It’s Like Christmas
Getting that email from Alice that our photographs were ready to look at was like Christmas.
Unfortunately, it took a while until we arrived in a place with strong enough internet to be able to view all the images.
So maybe it was more like Christmas where Santa ends up stuck in the chimney and needs the fire department to help get him down.
Still, it was fun.
And now I have the tough job of figuring out which photos of Honey I want to frame.
The Process
Alice was very professional and I really enjoyed working with her.
Once we sent our deposit to get on her schedule, Alice sent a questionnaire to get us (and her) thinking about what kinds of shots we wanted to get during our session.
She also explained how long we’d be working and about how many shots to expect her to take.
And then, on the day of the shoot, Alice spent more time and took more shots than she promised. She was very generous with her time.
About a week after our session, Alice sent me a link where I could download digital copies of the photos and buy prints of any images I wanted.
I loved watching her work. I’m thrilled to have so many beautiful pictures of Honey. And I really enjoyed finally meeting her assistant, Beth, after following Daily Dog Tag for years.
And I know that having professional pictures of Honey will bring me joy for decades to come.
Your Turn: Have you ever had professional photographs taken of your pets? What was your experience like?
Note: While Alice G Patterson Photography did discount sitting fees for everyone who scheduled a session with her at BlogPaws in Myrtle Beach, I wrote this post because I loved her work and was very thankful for the time she spent with us.
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It was so great to meet you, Honey and Mike and I love the photos. Personally, I don’t think you look awkward, but I understand feeling self-conscious!
I feel a little bad because these aren’t all the BEST photos of the day. They’re the ones that fit my silly sense of humor.
But I’m glad they don’t look awkward to you. It helped to have someone helping out who loves dogs as much as I do. 🙂
This is something I wish we had done before Duster died. And something we’ll definitely do once the new pup can stay still long enough. Lovely shots, and I best like the one of the three of you walking down the dock.
One of the great things about working with a professional with good skills and equipment is that she can get good shots even if (and maybe especially if) your dog can’t sit still.
We have done one other professional photo shoot with Honey. But this one was much better because it was less posed and got to see the real here.
Just my long way of saying don’t wait too long. 😉
Agree 100%! Mom had photos of her, Katie and me done when Katie was ten, then we had another shoot with Katie, me, Bailie, and Mom when Katie was thirteen. We have tons of photos of us, but most are without Mom in them, and whole group shots are few and far between. It’s wonderful to have professional pics!
It is especially nice to have pictures of the whole family. Good point that I should have included as one of my reasons. 🙂
No, and I wish I had; but that’s okay because I’m happy with most of the photos I have of all my girls. And the ones I don’t like at all just get deleted.
BTW, I love ALL the photos you shared here with us! Selfies are difficult when your dog doesn’t like looking at the camera with you! Sam doesn’t particularly like having photos taken of him, either.
You can never take too many pictures. And thanks to digital photography, it’s easier than ever. Our young friends probably couldn’t relate to how few pictures we have of dogs from years ago. But when you need to buy film and get it developed, it just doesn’t happen so much.
FABULOUS! And yes, getting professional pics was one of the greatest splurges I ever did. Not only were they fabulous and will keep for as long as I’m upright, they captured the essence of Sam and my connection. The pic on our blog where he’s tilting his head against my face like a hug always gets lovely complements. ? Good luck picking out your favorite poses. That’s the hardest part about professional pics.
I also love that you do watercolor portraits as well. They make lovely keepsakes.
I have never scheduled a photo shoot like yours. But I have been lucky enough to have a pro at my agility trials. His photos were the amazing ones that landed in the corgi calendars. I am sure he would have included me in a few if I asked, but I hate being photographed. Gah!
The professional shots of your agility competitions are great. Although I’d worry that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy them because you’d be doing a critique. 🙂
BTW, if you were busy running the course, you probably wouldn’t have time to feel self-conscous. A nice shot of you and Jimmy celebrating at the end of a run would be adorable.
Five of these photos would have been all you needed to convince me, but your reasons are good too. 🙂
I know! Didn’t she do a great job?
So happy to have such beautiful shots of Honey. Because she never looks so happy in MY pictures.
I haven’t had any done with Merlin, but i can see why you would. Those pics are beautiful. I have more pics of Merlin on my phone than my boyfriend lol.
Does your boyfriend *know* you have more pictures of Merlin than of him? Wouldn’t want him to get jealous.
He knows lol. I think he’s used of my dog obsession by now.
I invest in a photo session for the dogs every year and I love it. We never imagined losing Riley and Blue, but now that they’re gone, we’re thankful for the gorgeous pictures I took of them. I no longer do photography so hiring someone was a must and I’m thankful for the amazing images we have.
I LOVE that you get professional photos done every year. It’s definitely not in our budget. But it would be so cool to see everyone change each year.
I’ve never had a full-blown photo session with a professional, but I’ve been fortunate enough to have several professional-level volunteer photographers take pictures of Richie and of one of my foster dogs. Richie hates it when I try to take his picture and will purposely look away when I pull out my phone, but he will sometimes pose for someone with a real camera who knows what they’re doing.
How funny that Richie doesn’t like posing for you. It may just be that he doesn’t like seeing the face he loves so much concentrating on photographing instead of on him.
I wish I had good photographs of all our fosters. You are very fortunate to have talented friends to take good pictures for you.
I love the one with the three of you on the dock and Honey on the bow of the boat. They are all great and it is something I never thought about. But maybe it is time for a group portrait! 🙂
I think you would find it very meaningful to sit for portraits with all your dogs. Wouldn’t you love to have a complete family portrait?
Heck, even a talented amateur could get you something you can’t get on your own–a pic of everyone together. Maybe someday?
Those are wonderful! Love Alice’s photographs and seeing them on Beth’s blog. Especially love the first one of the 3 of you together, and Honey all aglow on the boat! Fantastic.
We/I’ve had pics taken with both Abby (our last pup) and Rita now, by my niece-in-law. She’s not technically a pro’fl photographer, but she does work posting pics/content on social media for companies, so she is kinda… Anyway, she took my author pics w/ Rita for me, but more importantly, she took pics of us and Abby just about a week before Abby succumbed to her bone cancer. They are a treasure, so I always try to remind folks to get GOOD pics taken of the whole familial unit together (not just of the dog – cuz we all usually have lots of pics of the dog) while everyone’s still able. (In fact, I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about that for ages now but since it’s kind of a sad topic I keep putting it off….)
Anyway, I don’t think you look awkward in that kissing photo. It’s sweet! I would love to have a session with Alice, but not sure that will ever happen since we’re at opposite sides of the country. Jealous-wealous!
You’re lucky to have someone in the family who can help you get good family pics. And your author pic with Rita is adorable.
BTW, Alice mentioned she was planning to do more traveling. It wouldn’t hurt to reach out to her just in case she’s heading to southern California sometime. Heck, since she lives in the snow belt of NY, she’d probably wouldn’t need much persuading to try to line up some sessions in your sunny neighborhood. 🙂
Our weather is pretty inviting in the winter… I actually just signed up for her email newsletter today, so I’ll keep track of where she’s traveling. (Also discovered her own dog and Rita look so much alike, they could be related! We were just messaging about it this a.m. on IG.)
I love this post and all the photos of Honey, and I think the photo of you and Mike holding hands and walking with Honey is so special and sweet. One of our dear friends in Florida gave us a family professional photo shoot when we visited there almost three years ago. Our favorite photos with Harper Lee ever. We’ll have to do it again with Tallulah . . . just as soon as she learns to sit still.
P.S. We met Alice at BlogPaws. She’s so super nice. I can see how she gets such wonderful shots from her subjects.
All the pictures look great but I love the ones of the three of you. It’s definitely true that hiring a professional photographer to take some pictures for you will also improve your photography. To me, even watching how they think about a shot has helped me think smarter and more creatively.
I read the post, you asked the question and now I feel compelled to answer it. Just about 10 years ago, I had Glamour Shots taken….with Sampson. If you ever come to my house, I’ll show you. LOL
I love the photos and also don’t think you were awkward, and also loved meeting Beth! Of course, Honey snuggles was one of the best things!
I can’t agree with you more. I’m tickled to doodle to have Jeanne Taylor Photography in our lives now. Her photo’s make all the difference. I love the photo of the three of you walking. It’s my favorite….
I adore those photos. She captured your beautiful family so perfectly… your personalities shine through! And you’ve inspired me to find someone locally to take pics for us. I think this is such a brilliant idea and such fun!
OMD, you totally need to get professional pictures. Violet is growing so fast and you’ll want to remember these early months and years with the whole family in the picture.