Continuing in our W Series—Where Should You Have Your Pet Photography Session?

Before I begin, let me start with the disclaimer you are probably so tired of: if any of these pets were photographed in a public location like a park or other public setting, they were secured on leash. Leashes are always on and only removed in post-processing. Ok, so—

There two main concerns you should consider when deciding where to have your session.

WELLBEING OF MY PUP (OR OTHER PET)
PERSONAL PREFERENCES/STYLISTIC CHOICES

Wellbeing of our Pets

This is the most important consideration. What environment would your pet thrive in? If you have a dog that hasn’t ever been outside the home, maybe a park session—with all the bustling of people and other pets—isn’t the right fit. An indoor session at home either using your own home as the backdrop or a pop-up studio would be best in that situation. If you have multiple dogs and no means of handling them, that would be another reason to consider an at-home session where you can better control your pups. We’ll talk about all these considerations after you complete your pre-session questionnaire. Knowing more about your pup or other animal helps me guide you towards a location that would be a best fit.

This looks like a short paragraph because it’s a much longer conversation that we will have based on the temperament and environmental exposures of your particular pet. Every pet is different, has different experiences and different concerns, so I treat this as a very individual-specific concern.

Personal Preferences/Stylistic Choices

I’ll be using my Golden Retriever Charlie to demonstrate a variety of personal preference and stylistic choices that you might make when considering location.

So, personally, I LOVE a solid backdrop, monochrome mid-waist up portrait:

Classy Charlie—my favorite
Location: My Livingroom

That’s my favorite type of pet portrait. It’s just so classic and just—ugh—perfect in my opinion. But that’s just me. Everyone is different, and everyone has a stylistic preference when it comes to how they visualize a finished portrait.

For example, you may prefer to visualize your pet in an outdoor setting representative of the skills of his or her breed:

Or maybe you want to include some representative things about the breed in a formal portrait setting:

Has no idea what to do with these things but I gave him cheese for it so...
Location: my garage

Or maybe you want pictures that are just representative of their personality:

As you can see, your stylistic choices really have a lot to do with the setting. We’ve got a cream color backdrop to act as a monochrome with Charlie’s coat in the first picture. In the second set, we’re going with monochrome again but in an outdoor setting, and selecting angles that showcase Charlie’s Golden Retriever as a working dog look. In the decoy picture, we’re lighting this to make Charlie look like the angel of hunting dogs (even though he has no idea what a duck is!) And in the last set, we’re outdoors, but using vibrant colors and special lenses to get Charlie at his goofiest.

Here are some of the locations you might want to consider:

At Home

Moncus Park

St. Julien/Broussard Park

UL Alumni Center

Family Property

At Home Pop-Up Studio

If you want a formal, classic portrait of your pet, I’d recommend an indoor pop-up studio setting. To do this, I’ll need a space in your home that’s about 10x10 to accomplish something on a seamless background. I’ll bring the backdrop (we’ll discuss color choices).

The below pictures were taken at three separate client homes. I set up the background, lights, and we worked together to get great expressions from each of these pups. The beautiful chair featured in the middle picture belongs to the client. I love including little personal items like that to really set apart the finished picture and make it uniquely for the client.

Local Parks—Moncus and St. Julien

We’ve got a few parks here that are really lovely for pet sessions. My two favorite right now are Moncus Park in Lafayette and St. Julien Park in Broussard. I am a registered photographer at Moncus Park, having paid for my photographer’s permit. And I’ve had such a great time at the location. There are lots of great areas to shoot. St. Julien park is a little more sparse, but can still provide a lovely setting.

UL Alumni Center

This location requires me to schedule in advance and costs $25 per session, but it’s such a classic Lafayette location with typically beautiful lighting and botanicals:

Family Property

Lastly, you may have that perfect outdoorsy family property to capture your pet on. That’s awesome and I’m here for that! I’ve shot a lot on my family’s acreage, and it’s so nice to just let everyone loose when we can. That won’t be possible at everyone’s family property, and that’s fine. But having the setting as a place that is important to you will help the pictures truly become special keepsakes and memories.

Location in Conclusion

Pick a setting that ensures the wellbeing of your pup and helps you achieve your stylistic goals—that’s it! And if you have a location that wasn’t covered on the list, I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a message any time to discuss further, or contact me on Facebook and Instagram @beeandbearphoto.

I like to think that I can accommodate a variety of styles, as hopefully shown in this series. Here’s just a few more of my favorite types of classic portraits on colorful backgrounds, just because they are my favorite!

Next in the W Series: When Should You Have a Pet Photography Session?

The W Series: Where Should You Have Your Pet Photography Session?