The Process of a Pet Photography Session
Whether you find me through my website, send a DM on Instagram, or pick up the phone — that first contact is the beginning of the experience. Here's what the whole journey looks like, from that first message to finished artwork on your wall.
Step 1: Your Inquiry & Deciding to Move Forward
Every session starts with a conversation — even if that conversation begins as a DM or a contact form submission.
Once you reach out, we'll talk through what you're hoping to create. You'll get a sense of how I work, I'll get a sense of what you're looking for, and together we'll decide if we're a good fit. There's no pressure in either direction. The right session happens when it's right for both of us.
When you're ready to move forward, you'll complete the booking process and pay your reservation fee to hold your spot. From there, you'll select your session date from my calendar of availability.
Step 2: Planning Your Session
After booking, you'll receive two options for getting me everything I need to design your session: a planning questionnaire you can complete on your own time, or a Zoom planning call where we talk through it together.
Either way, I want to know everything. Your dog's personality, their quirks, what makes them light up, what stresses them out. The stories you tell about them. The things only you would notice. I also want to know about your home — the rooms where these images are going to live, the colors and aesthetic, what's already on your walls. All of that shapes how we approach the session.
Once your planning is complete, I'll mail you something special before your session date. I'll let that be a surprise.
Step 3: The Session
Your dog's only job is to be a dog. Your only job is to relax.
The session itself is entirely built around your dog's pace. The only hard time limit we have is the sun — when the good light is gone, we wrap up. Everything else moves at whatever speed works best for your dog. Some sessions run 30 to 45 minutes. Others go two hours. I tell clients to plan for about an hour but to keep two hours free in their calendar, just in case a dog needs more time to settle in or the light is doing something too good to walk away from.
We'll work through portrait moments and sniff breaks and treat breaks and whatever else your dog needs. I capture the in-between moments as much as the posed ones — because that's where personality lives. You'll leave with a happy, tired dog and a good feeling about what we made together.
Step 4: Your Gallery & Video Walkthrough
About ten days after your session, you'll receive your gallery.
Before I send it, I've already done the work: I've gone through every image and removed anything blurry or with half closed eyelids, pulled out your best images, and pre-designed wall art options and an album layout the way I'd put it together if this were my own dog. Then I record a video walking you through the gallery and the designs I've created, so you're not staring at a folder of images alone trying to figure out what goes where.
You'll have time to go through everything and decide what you'd like to order. You can do that directly through the gallery — all the information you need is there — or you can schedule a quick call with me to talk through sizing, framing, or any questions before finalizing. Either way, it's always in your court.
Step 5: Editing, Delivery & Your Finished Artwork
Once you've placed your order, your images go into full editing. Leashes disappear. Eye boogers, flying bugs, and anything else that crept in — gone. Your digital files are delivered once editing is complete.
Then, about six weeks later, something arrives at your door.
Your finished artwork — albums bound in Italian leather or luxury linen, wall art produced by professional labs, everything custom made for you — arrives ready to hang, ready to display, ready to live in your home for decades. No assembly, no trips to the framer, no decisions left to make.
That's the whole experience, from first message to finished art on your wall.
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