Because I’m passionate about getting their dogs professionally photographed, it always makes me a little sad when people comment, “my dog would never sit still for photos!” My response is always, “you might be surprised at what a professional photographer can accomplish!” So I asked Sarah and Peter from CityLux Studios to share their tips for photographing dogs and people.
CityLux Studios’ Tips For Photographing Dogs & People
* Have treats on standby. Just like people, pups are more agreeable when snacks are involved.
* During engagement sessions, we always recommend that our couples bring someone along to take care of the pup(s) while they’re not actively in photos.
* We love movement, so we just have them walk together and sometimes even frolic.
* Natural interaction is always fun and makes for some great candids. We usually have the couple kneel down with their dog(s), and when this happens, a little slobbering is almost always guaranteed. The camera loves it.
* If the pup is an energetic breed, giving them some exercise before the session is extremely wise. Letting them run around for a while burns calories and creates some calm.
* A recent grooming visit is never a bad idea! Pups need haircuts just like we do. 
Be sure to check some of our other tips for how to include dogs in your engagement photos.
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Find a pet-friendly photographer near you. If you need help finding a pet photographer near you, let me know!
About CityLux Studios: Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Sarah and Peter specialize in engagement, wedding, and maternity photography.
I love these tips, especially the one about natural interaction. Unless your dog is professionally trained, you’re not going to get poses. LOL
Thanks for the great tips. These will be useful for my photos.
I would love to do some photos with our dogs! These are wonderful tips!
Fantastic tips and the photographs are beautiful. Taking photos with pets can be so hard sometimes but treats always help LOL
What great ideas. And dogs can add such a nice feeling to photos!
Wow! Thanks for these wonderful tips, every photo looks absolutely cute. It captures the perfect moment for the dog’s aura. Loved it!
I love the photos in this post! Great tips too. I wish I could get my dogs professionally photographed, but one of them is very fearful around, well, pretty much everyone besides my partner and myself. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable just to get some nice photos. So, I do the best I can on my own. And believe me, when it comes to photography I need all the tips I can get lol!
Thank you for sharing some of your secrets for getting such wonderful dog photos.
Wow! These are all really great and amazing shots! Thanks for sharing these awesome tips!
These are great tips and beautiful photos! I agree a professional photographer can do amazing work! But you can always help.
I remember I helped my friend, who’s a local photographer, take pictures of the K9 unit at the local police station. Those are very well-behaved dogs. But a few squeaky toys or weird noises produced some great eye-catchy photos. It put them on alert since they were still in uniform and thought they were working. She ended up making trading cards for the sheriff’s department to hand out to the elementary school kids. It was a cute campaign that did very well.
I’m sharing these tips with my pet-loving friends.
These are such great tips! I have 2 dogs and it’s really hard to get them both to sit still for pics sometimes, so this is super helpful haha 🙂
Thanks for these tips. I have 3 dogs ang they are very playful and I have a hard time taking pictures of them lol
I’m sure treats would work on my Yorkie but not quite sure when it comes to my boxer mix. She is almost 4 but still acts like a puppy on occasion. As long as there is no distractions, we might be good if not she might choose to run for a bit (when her mind gets overwhelmed with new smells).
Inspired advice here! I would never have thought of a hairdressing appointment before a photoshoot but YES, of course you want everyone to look their best so this is a great suggestion. You AND the dog need to look GOOD.
I like the idea of wearing them out first too (grins) the same works with kittens. That and a good lunch.
I love taking photos but I’m not a pro. So thank you for these tips!
It makes sense to get out some energy before settling down for a photo session. Just like kids! These are good pointers.
I love the tip about allowing the dog to just move as they normally would. I always enjoy the more candid looking photos! Pets can make life more interesting with their sudden choices.
I love these tips! I am always trying to tell my subjects(lol) to get out their energy before I take the pictures.