I've heard it so many times! My dog would never sit still long enough to have a photo taken. Guess what? I just need a split second!
Your fur child has a short attention span and I have a number of unique noises in my arsenal that they have not heard. As soon as they hear a new squeak, a shrill noise, a rattle, keys, and with the correct timing, they look my way. I don't guarantee that I can get every pet, but I have many tricks that I find work at least once!
Your pets are not much different than your kids when it comes to taking direction from others. Just like your kids can give you a hard time about listening, dogs will tend to have selective hearing when it comes to their owner, but when a stranger says something new, they tend to listen just a bit better.
I grew up with dogs all of my life and come from a lineage of family members who always had pets too. This not only taught me respect for animals, but also how to work with them. At one point in my young life, I knew I wanted to do something with dogs, but I thought my only options were being a veterinarian or a trainer. I can't stand seeing anything in pain - so being a vet was totally out and I did not know where or how to start a trainer's career. So, I started down other career paths and am happy that 37 years ago, I was able to combine my two loves of photography and pets into a talent that I can share with others!
What if I have to hold my dog in place?
This has happened many times as well. Some dogs are anxious or overly excited and just need your calming presence to assist while I snap their photograph. When my husband and I started our photography services in 1987, he was the photographer and my job was doing the editing and processing the photos. I learned Adobe Photoshop very quickly in how to mask hands, collars and leashes.
This skill actually takes me to another service that I haven't posted about yet and that is Photo Restoration. I love this aspect of photography also, as it allows me to create a beautiful, work of art from a snapshot that you already own. One of my favorite examples is when we captured a portrait of a gorgeous Golden Retriever and we had the portrait hanging in our studio in St Louis Mills Mall in 2004. A customer oohed and ahhed over the portrait and seeing my other work, commented that she had a family portrait that she needed to have a person removed. She needed her ex-daughter in law removed due to a divorce, but the family could not retake the portrait as her husband had passed away shortly after the photo was taken. She mentioned that her family had a Golden Retriever that looked just like the one we had hanging in our studio. So guess what?! Yep! I swapped the ex-daughter in law out and put the dog in her place!
If I can do that with the limited editing capabilities of Adobe Photoshop 6, how much better do you think I am now with so many more editing features now! Not all items can be removed, but I can blend or clone to create the portrait that you will cherish!
Pet Portrait Slideshow
Be sure and book your Pet's Professional Portrait Session soon!
Give me a call if you still have questions. I will even come and meet your fur children to see if we will be a good fit.
Your pet is a member of your family and they deserve their own beautiful work of art with a professional portrait!
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