Dog Photography Tips: Creative Ways to Capture One of a Kind Images

The fun begins now that you’ve decided to capture your beloved dog’s unique personality with a customized photo session. In addition to capturing fabulous shots that you’ll love to frame and display for years to come, I’d like to suggest some other ideas for using your photo session to create one-of-a-kind images that are especially creative and sure to impress your friends, family and potential business clients.

Greeting Cards

Everyone’s familiar with the family portrait Christmas card, with “Max” as the center of attention, but have you ever thought about using your dog’s photo to enhance a different kind of card?

Other holidays offer wonderful opportunities to be creative and, with the right props, can work for multiple celebrations. Here’s are some samples of a special Valentine’s Day Card, Christmas cards and “just because” you love someone card!

How about using your pup’s photo on a birthday card to send to family and close friends throughout the year? We can brainstorm fun poses for him and use party props to make the images “scream” celebrate! (Warning: If your pup is anything like mine, though, we’ll need to be especially alert if we use a cake as a prop — it could disappear in a nanosecond if we’re not careful!)

For those who still value addressing an actual envelope and putting a stamp to mail (and who doesn’t love receiving a handwritten note in the mail?), we can create custom-designed notecards and envelopes starring your pup. Just imagine an old friend getting a note from you and opening the envelope to see your dog’s amazingly cute big brown eyes sending all his canine love?

If you have an event coming up that will require thank you cards – perhaps a shower, wedding, or graduation — a photo of “Max” on the card would make the cards so much more personal. You tell me the event and we’ll come up with ideas to make some special images.

Business Cards

A dog’s cute smile on a business card might not be “proper” for all professions (I’m not sure it would work for a senior vice president of a national accounting firm), but for those of us in less formal, more creative positions, Fido’s face could be just the ticket!

A business card that showcases your pup’s friendly face conveys happiness, contentment, and an overall impression of just “feeling good.” And who doesn’t love to “feel good?”

Announcement Cards

If you have a special occasion on the horizon, let’s think about using your dogs sparkling personality help get your party started!

To celebrate a school graduation, picture the proud graduate posing in their cap and gown alongside their best friend that has helped with all those late night studying session. They both have donned matching scarves heralding the school colors. Or, imagine the grad sitting on the ground adjusting her cap on the pup’s furry head or running away with cap!

Getting Married

There’s something about a pup posing with a newly married (or newly engaged) couple that makes the heart sing. The image can be “formal,” with the proud pup sitting politely alongside his new family, or it can be totally casual – perhaps something involving waves, bare feet (and paws) and Frisbees. From “Just Engaged” to “Save the Date” to “Just Married”. . .including your dog(s) on these special cards is, well, special!

A New Addition

Is there a new baby about to join your family? Imagine sweet family pup posing proudly with his human mom and her growing baby bump. Of course, once the baby is born, there’s no end in sight of the heartwarming images we can capture for your announcement cards. Puppies and babies. Does life get any cuter?

Moving

If you’re relocating, have you thought about using your dog to star in your personal and unique “We’ve Moved” cards? If he loves to go for car rides, for example, we could pose him in the back of your car, looking out the window, as he “leaves” his old neighborhood.

Using Photos of Your Dog for Marketing

If you own a small business, using photos of your own dog in your printed marketing and social media can be a huge asset to promoting your company’s image. Cute pictures of dogs make people, your people, “dog people” notice you. They have a powerful effect on our attention and concentration. (There’s a reason why so many Super Bowl advertisers use puppies in their million-dollar-plus commercials.)

Here, for example, is how the owner of a small bakery that specializes in mini-cupcakes used her canine to market the cupcakes.

This photo makes me want a cupcake right now!

Let’s Get Started

If any of these ideas intrigue you, we can discuss them at our initial consultation and, of course, I can show you some sample ideas.

Bottom line: I love being innovative and creative with my clients – both the two-legged and four-legged kind. If you have an idea but wonder if it’s too weird or wacky to pull off, let’s chat.

Together, we’ll have fun collaborating and making your vision come true – even if you’re not exactly sure what that vision is yet!