If you’re thinking about booking a professional photoshoot for your dog, you might be wondering whether there’s a bestage to do it.
Should you wait until the puppy chaos has subsided?
Until they’ve finished growing?
Until they’re better trained?
Until their first birthday?
Or perhaps you’re thinking, They’re young and healthy. We’ve got plenty of time.
So, when is the best age for a dog photoshoot?
Honestly?
The age they are now.
Because every stage gives you something completely different to remember.
Can a puppy be too young for a photoshoot?
Look at them.
LOOK AT THEM.
I would like to officially state for the record that there is no such thing as bringing me too many puppies. 😂
Puppies change at a frankly unreasonable speed.
The oversized paws. The ears they haven’t quite grown into. The soft puppy fur. The little round bellies. The expressions that suggest there may not yet be an enormous amount going on between those ears.
It all disappears ridiculously quickly.
So if you’re wondering whether you should wait until your puppy is older, bigger or better trained before having professional photographs taken, you absolutely don’t have to.
In fact, puppyhood is one of those stages you can never go back and photograph later.
“Maybe I'll wait until they've finished growing”
Well, allow me to introduce Exhibit A: Scooby.
Same dog.
About a year apart.
And this is exactly why there isn’t one perfect age for dog photography.
Puppy Scooby and grown-up Scooby are both completely worthy of a place on the wall.
They’re just different versions of him.
That tiny puppy face becomes a proper grown-up dog face. Their body changes. Their personality develops. Their quirks become their quirks.
You don’t need to choose between photographing them as a puppy or as an adult.
You can document both.
Birthdays are absolutely a good enough reason
This is Sully.
Sully was turning one.
Sully is also a St Bernard, which meant that at one year old he was already approximately the size of some people’s first flat.
Naturally, a birthday hat was required.
You don’t need a serious reason to book a pet photoshoot.
A first birthday is a reason.
A gotcha day is a reason.
An adoption anniversary is a reason.
Finally surviving the velociraptor puppy stage with most of your furniture intact is a perfectly acceptable reason.
Or simply:
“I absolutely adore this ridiculous creature and want brilliant photographs of them.”
That works too.
Because life changes around them too
And this is where it gets really interesting.
Because we’re not only photographing how your dog changes.
We’re photographing how your life with them changes too.
Sully came back to see me again.
Only this time there was somebody new in the photographs.
A tiny human.
And suddenly that photograph tells another part of his story.
He isn’t simply Sully at a different age.
He’s Sully in a different chapter of his family’s life.
That’s something I think we sometimes forget when we think about pet photography.
Dogs aren’t standing still while the rest of our lives happen.
They’re right there in the middle of it.
Your dog is growing alongside your family
This is something Dora demonstrates rather beautifully.
Dora is a Romanian rescue and has been turning up for family photographs with her humans for years.
Including when tiny humans started arriving.
Because when Thea came along, Dora didn’t suddenly become the dog who wasn’t part of the photoshoot.
She was still part of the family.
So she was in the photographs too.
And I love this image because it records the very beginning of a relationship that was going to grow alongside them both.
Then life moved on.
Babies got bigger.
The family changed.
And Dora was still there.
This is one of the reasons I will always encourage people to include their dog in their family photographs.
It doesn’t have to be a choice between a family photoshoot and a pet photoshoot.
Your dog can simply be part of your family story.
Because they are.
And before you know it, you have a collection of photographs that shows much more than what everybody looked like.
You can see your family growing.
You can see relationships developing.
You can see the dog who was there through all of it.
And one day, those photographs become a little timeline of your life together.
That’s pretty special.
What if my dog is already older?
Then the best age for their photoshoot is…
now.
This gorgeous old boy is Ollie.
Older dogs have their own kind of beauty.
The grey around the muzzle. The softer expressions. The little changes to their face that perhaps you haven’t even noticed happening because you see them every day.
And all those quirks you’ve learned over years together.
If you’ve been thinking you should have booked a photoshoot when your dog was younger, please don’t let that stop you doing it now.
You haven’t missed your chance.
Likewise, you don’t need to wait until your dog is elderly or poorly before photographs suddenly become important.
You don’t need a sad reason to photograph a dog you love.
What if my dog isn't well trained enough for photographs?
Ah.
Different question.
And conveniently, one I’ve already answered. 😉
Your dog does not need to sit perfectly, stay on command or gaze thoughtfully into my camera like they’re auditioning for the cover of Dog Vogue.
I’ve photographed excitable dogs, nervous dogs, distracted dogs and dogs whose interpretation of “sit” appears to be more of a loose suggestion.
Sessions are relaxed and flexible, and dogs can stay on lead where needed.
So if the thing making you wait is:
“I’ll book when they’re a bit calmer…”
You can stop waiting for that too.
Blog Link: My Dog Won’t Sit Still for Photos! Can You Still Get Good Pictures?
So, what IS the best age for a dog photoshoot?
Puppy?
Yes.
First birthday?
Yes.
Three years old and in their absolute prime?
Yes.
Part of a growing family?
Yes.
Grey muzzle and considerably more interested in naps than chasing balls?
Also yes.
There isn’t one perfect age.
Because you’re not trying to photograph the definitive version of your dog.
You’re photographing this version.
The one who exists right now.
And one day, you’ll be very glad you did.
