How I Approach Photographing Nervous and Shy Dogs — BARKography

Four of my last five photo sessions have been with dogs that are nervous, shy or fearful.

I knew this going into each of these photo sessions.

When potential clients reach out to me about photographing their dogs, I pick up the phone and call them. Ideally I want to chat over the phone about their dog.

Here are 5 things I want to learn more about during this phone call:

1. The dog’s personality

2. The dog’s energy level

3. Why the client wants photos taken

4. Specific photos the client wants taken

5. If there’s a chance the dog may be afraid of my camera or me

At the top of the first page on my website I say I can “Uniquely Capture the Essence of your Dog’s Personality.”

This is why I need to understand your dog’s behavior. I need to know a little about his background. Having this information before the photo shoot helps me prepare.

I started a dog walking and pet sitting business in 2009. For 14 years, I’ve worked full time with dogs. This experience has helped me understand so much about dog behavior.

When I meet your dog for the first time, how is he going to act? How is he going to approach me? How is going to feel about having a large camera pointed at him?

I do photograph a lot of happy-go-lucky dogs. Your typical happy golden retriever or lovable lab. But not all of us have those kinds of dogs.

Putting you and your nervous dog at ease is my job. The photo session should be fun for your dog. And for you.

This is 12 year old Baby. His mom and dad won a photo session I donated to the Charlotte chapter of the American Heart Association. In my conversation prior to the photo session, I learned that Baby is fearful and has lashed out and bitten someone when he was startled. Baby was on a leash the entire photo session and I edited it out of the final photos. We chose to do the session at his house where he would be most comfortable. He barked when I arrived but before long he did this.