5. Your pets appearance
Make sure your dog (or cat, or horse!) is looking their best. Give them a wash and a quick brush! If you have a long haired pet who requires clipping, it is best to organise this for at least a few days prior to your shoot to prevent clipper marks being visible. Though if you love their ragamuffin look- that is more than ok! It is completely up to you.
Mercy had two seperate photoshoots, one pre- and one post-groom!
Which is your favourite look?
4. Choose your outfit
If you are going to appear in the photos (which I do recommend- just a few at least!) it is important you are looking your best. I delve a little deeper into this exact topic on another blog post:
Essentially, keep it simple, and no matter what, keep it you!
3. Choose your dogs outfit
This may sound strange, by this I mean their collar (unless you want to rock it like Greta and Wilson!) Your dog is unable to wear their harness or head halti for photos (though may wear it whilst walking around our shoot location.)
A simple plain coloured collar is best, ideally remove all of their dangling and council tags too. If you are not wanting the collar to draw any attention, black or brown is the way to go. However you can use collars to make a statement too! So if you aren't sentimentally attached to your dogs collar, buying a nice new one for the photoshoot is the best way to go. This way it is clean and has no unsightly tags attached. Your dog is welcome to go naked if the location is safe to do so.
It doesn't need to break the bank either. Kmart has an excellent range of affordable dog collars. Check out Frank and Sage's Kmart collars and leads (stunning!)
2. Your photoshoot bag
Within this single easily totable bag you will have water for you and your pet, treats, and their toys! Maybe a towel if we are at a location with water. We will be stopping and starting a lot as we walk around, so it's helpful to just have one single bag rather than many different bags to carry.
1. Your pets energy levels
It's the day of the shoot. Your pet is about to prove they are the star you have always thought they are. It is incredibly helpful to have your pets energy levels managed on the day. For energetic dogs, this may mean an extra walk in the morning, or coming early to your shoot location for a walk beforehand. For elderly or sick dogs, this may mean no walk the day before and lots of rest on the day leading up to your shoot.
Now you're ready!