Unique Photoshoots With Your Dog

A photoshoot with your dog doesn’t just have to be a portrait—we can get creative, like this session with dogs in a boat on the owner’s pond.

This was one of the most fun (and challenging!) shoots I’ve done. My friend was an absolute star, helping keep the boat in position, holding the rope so we didn’t send the pups drifting off into the middle of the pond, and making sure everyone stayed safely onboard.

The dogs? Total pros. They were calm, curious, and clearly up for an adventure. I’m always amazed at how much our dogs will do when they trust us.

I really should’ve had a behind-the-scenes video for this one… 

Picture this: I’m standing in the pond, camera in hand, trying to frame the shot while balancing on a narrow shelf of solid ground. Two steps forward and—whoosh—I’d have been fully submerged, camera and all.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking about where the light is, keeping the dogs in position, calling out directions to my boat wrangler and constantly reminding myself not to move an inch forward.

It was one of the trickiest setups I’ve done but also one of the most fun. The dogs were absolute champs, my friend was a huge help controlling the boat, and we ended up with some magical images.

Moral of the story? I’ll do almost whatever it takes to get the shot—even if it means standing in a pond with my camera, praying not to slip! That being said, I now have a new, more expensive camera and lens, and I won’t be standing in any ponds with my new camera…hmmm, an underwater casing would be fun. I’ll take back that “never” and replace it with “until” I get an underwater casing!

If you have any interesting or unique photoshoot ideas you’d like for your dog, please reach out. I’d love to hear about your dream shoot!