Top Tips for Pet Portraits | Las Vegas Engagement Photoshoot

Everybody LOVES the idea of including their four-legged friends in a photoshoot, but for some people, bringing pets along makes the whole situation a tad stressful. If you’re thinking about including your furbabies (or scaly-babies for some of you awesome weirdos) in your photoshoot, here are my top tips to make the whole experience great for everyone:

First and foremost and above all else: train. your. pets! Good leash manners, no jumping, and a solid sit and recall command can make or break an entire session. Nobody wants to be stressed out and covered in dirt in their photos! If you want to get fancy and teach them to wave or hug or recite the quadratic formula, you go right ahead. Just make sure basic manners are good to go!

Food and water are also super important. Tasty snacks are a great bribe for good behavior and offering water is vital out in the desert or in any new situation that could stress your pet. Remember to bring a bowl!

A fun detail is splurging on cute collars, harnesses, or bandannas (or sweaters if it’s chilly), especially if they coordinate with your outfit. How often do you get to be mathcy-matchy with your best friend, anyway?

My favorite tip is to find a delicious new treat or a fun noisy toy to get ears up and eyes forward in every picture. We all know how hard it is to get a perky expression from your pet when there are so many new, cool things to look at! Give them something even cooler that I can hold behind the camera and we’ll be sure to get some seriously adorable shots.

If you have more questions on including your pets in a portrait session, send me a message and let’s start planning!

Amber is a Las Vegas Elopement Photographer who is available for travel for elopements and weddings. Send in a contact form through the link above to schedule your free consultation.