HOW DOES IT WORK?
STEP ONE: We chat. Whether it's on the phone, over Zoom or in person with coffee, we need to get together to discuss things before we jump into the session. First off, I want to hear all about your dog--how special they are, what's their favorite treat, are they lazy or crazy, do they fetch, do they have a 'trigger' word to illicit the perfect head tilt, etc. I want to know all the details because that will help me connect with your dog as much as possible in the small amount of time we'll have together. Second, we'll talk about the nitty-gritty stuff like ideal location, date, time, weather, collar and leash choice, etc.
STEP TWO: Ok, so we've decided on the date, location and session type--now the administrative side of things needs to be wrapped up. I'll send you an invoice for the session and, once you pay the 50% deposit, I'll add your kiddo to my calendar. I'll also email you the contract and liability waiver to be signed prior to session day. *The remaining balance is due at, or before, our session.
STEP THREE: It's the big day! We'll meet up at your chosen location and make magic happen. I cover session FAQs in more detail below so please keep reading if you have quesions such as "my dog doesn't sit still so how will you photograph them?" or "my dog can't be off leash so how can we make this happen?".
STEP FOUR: Now comes the hard part--waiting. I promise you won't wait too long though because I'm always so excited to see what we've created that I rush home and immediately start editing! The enhancement process usually takes about a week since I'm also juggling a full-time job. The editing time will also vary depending on different factors such as ideal vs. "ok" lighting conditions, one dog vs. multiple dogs, off-leash vs. on-leash, etc.
STEP FIVE: I've finalized your portraits and sent you links to your personalized gallery. You'll receive one link for a mobile app that can be downloaded to your phone for easy access. The second link is to the online gallery site where you can also download to your computer. With each gallery-viewing option you'll also be able to purchase prints and wall art from the professional print lab I partner with.
I truly love what I do and my ultimate goal is for that feeling to show through my work and make your heart happy!
A FEW MORE FAQS
My dog can't be off-leash, can we still do an outdoor session? 1000% YES!! The vast majority of dogs cannot be off-leash for our session either because they don't have reliable recall, they're not friendly with other dogs or people, the location is high-traffic, etc. We tackle this "problem" by choosing the right collar and lead set, as well as editing out those pesky distractions in Photoshop. Picking the right collar and leash is super important because there are better choices than others in terms of editing. Simple, 1" or less width collars with minimal tags are easiest to get rid of in post-production. Martingales, multiple collar combos (flea-choke-regular), lots of tags and such are much harder to edit out of portraits and sometimes can't be without leaving obvious blemishes in the photo. Long black leashes are best, but we can usually work with most types of leashes because the trick with them is more about how you hold them;)
Can I be in the photos with my dog? Again, an emphatic YES!! I love photographing people with their dogs.
I have multiple dogs, do I have to pay extra for them? No, BUT a good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that there should be one handler for each dog. I can't do much dog wrangling from behind the camera so if you do have more than one dog I highly recommend you bring a friend or two to help out.