Tips for Including Dogs in Family Photos

As a Virginia Beach family photographer, I love including dogs in family photos! Ultimately, my goal is to capture your family in whatever season of life you are currently in and of course, with your family! Sometimes that includes your furry friends! 🙂 Dogs are welcome in sessions booked with me and over the years, I have photographed enough families with pets that I am comfortable with it and encourage families to bring their dogs! I also have learned some tips along the way that will be helpful when planning a photo session with your pets and am sharing these below.

Looking for tips on incorporating dogs in family photos?

Sharing some below:

Choose a dog friendly location.

When a client books a session with me, I provide a Session Prep Guide that includes a list of locations that I strongly suggest in order to get the images like you see on my portfolio and social media! Most of these locations are pet friendly but I do always suggest my clients to check with me first to be sure. Some of the Virginia Beach locations that I recommend the most when it comes to including dogs in family photos are the beach and an area I photograph at often near Pleasure House Point (both are pictured below!).

That being said, you know your pet best. If you are worried about he/she running into the water or the wide area of sand being an issue, the beach might not be the place for you! 😉 Also of note, I do have an indoor natural light studio (in the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach) and pets are welcome here as well.

Enlist someone to come and help.

This is the tip I encourage the most, especially if you don’t want your pet in all the photos. I suggest bringing a grandma or grandpa, family friend, or someone else you trust to come and take care of the dog when not in the image. Sometimes it also works well to do the images with the pet first and then your family “helper” can leave with the pet. Again, you know your dog best and what will work the best, but this should help the session go more smoothly!

Consider a nice collar and leash.

I love to help with the styling for my Virginia Beach photo sessions – the outfits you choose really make a big difference in the final outcome of your photos! (If you would like more information on styling tips, you can see this blog post!).

When including your dog in family photos, it’s important to also consider what they are “wearing”. You don’t want to spend a ton of time coordinating neutral colors for the family to wear and then forget that your dog has a neon collar and leash! Neutral tones tend to photograph best and it can also be fun to incorporate a fun bandanna or matching bow to the rest of the family, if that’s something you may be interested in!

Bring treats.

I am never above a treat for any kids in my sessions, and feel the same when it comes to pets! A small treat can go a long way and can help in those moments when we need a little extra incentive to keep the pet engaged or in one spot to get a posed shot. Bring a favorite treat or one the pet doesn’t get often to make it extra exciting!

Keep expectations real.

This is another tip that I share with ALL my sessions!! My family sessions are never meant to be perfectly posed and as a mom of four myself, I expect a little bit of chaos and am perfectly ok with that. I incorporate a lot of movement in my photos and find that this works best for both littles ones and pets. Expect to be walking and cuddling and having FUN with your people in any photo session with me — and that’s truly when the photos turn out the best!

Ultimately, in addition to following these tips, it’s important to find a photographer who is comfortable including dogs in family photos. If you are interested in learning more about a family photo session (whether you want to include the pup or not!), I would love to chat with you! You can inquire here or email me at ashleybricknerphoto@gmail.com. I hope to get the opportunity to work with you!!!