What should I bring to a pet photography session?

One of the questions I get asked most often when people book a session is “do I need to bring anything with me to our session?” As a specialist pet photography studio I’ve got the basics covered: water bowls, snacks, cosy rest areas etc. But hopefully this will help to answer that question!

Treats

As a pet photographer, I always have treats on hand. But I’ll always suggest that you bring your own treats as well, especially if your pet is fussy or has any dietary requirements. Even if your pet just has one specific treat that they’ll do anything for, that’s always a useful tool during photoshoots.

Collar and lead

As I’m primarily a studio pet photographer, I tend to photograph pets without any collars, leads or harnesses. However, I highly recommend that you bring your pet’s thinnest collar and lead, as these can be used to help keep the dog in a specific position if they need a little extra help. But don’t worry, these can easily be edited out of your final photos so you’ll never know they were there (the thinner the collar and lead, the easier to remove from the photos).

Toys

Is your pet not particularly treat motivated? Every pet is different, some will do anything for a snack, others a tennis ball. If this is your pet, I recommend you bring your pet’s favourite toy to the session with you to keep them as engaged as possible. I always have a few toys in the studio to choose from, but sometimes nothing beats that one ball or teddy from home. Favourite toys can also be incorporated into the photos if you wish!

Anything else you want to be included in the photos

There’s no requirement to bring anything extra to your photoshoot, but if you have a specific bow, favourite blanket, or little toy that you always associate with your pet, feel free to bring these along! I’ll always try my best to tailor the photos to whatever you may have in mind.