4 Tips To Include Your Dog In Your Engagement Session!

Tips For Including Your Dog In Your Engagement Session // Wedding Photographers in Huntsville, Alabama

Originally posted May 4, 2017 // Updated March 24, 2023

Do you have an engagement session coming up and wondering if you can bring your dog to the session with you? You love your dogs and we love photographing your dogs! They bring a fun and meaningful sparkle to your session, and the memories will be extra sweet.

A little bit of preparedness can go a long way to make including your dog in your engagement session a fun and seamless experience. We’re sharing 4 tips to make your puppy’s debut into the engagement session smooth and easy for everyone!

1. Ask a friend to be in charge of bringing your dog to the session at the appropriate time.

Your photographer can help you coordinate a meeting place for your friend to bring your dog at the scheduled time. If your friend isn’t able to transport your pet to the session themselves, have them take your puppy for an extended walk while you enjoy the first part of your session!

It’s much easier to focus on each other and on everything we’re teaching you when you’re not trying to keep an eye on that cute little (or big!) puppy dog. We have experience snapping pictures while hanging onto the leash, but it’s definitely distracting for both you and us. You’ll appreciate having the ability to focus on each other and enjoy the experience without having one more (furry) thing to think about.

2. Plan to include your pet during the first or last 10-15 minutes of your session.

We recommend the last 15 minutes of your session because it’s the perfect time to feel extra relaxed and play around with your dog! You’ll be really confident in your posing and how to be in front of the camera by that point, so adding in a sparkle of puppy energy will just add to the fun. You’re also usually in your more casual outfit during the second half of your session, which is helpful when dog kisses are involved.

3. Plan for a location that is quiet and allows pets.

Pets are often distracted by crowds of people, so they’ll usually do better if we can find an out-of-the-way place. Some locations, specifically ticketed locations like Huntsville Botanical Garden or Burritt on the Mountain, don’t allow outside animals on premises. Check your location’s rules before showing up with your dog!

We often photograph dog-friendly engagement sessions around Big Spring Park or other popular downtown Huntsville spots. There are almost always plenty of quiet spots that work really well with the pets.

4. Take your dog for a walk beforehand to get out some energy.

If your dog has been cooped up inside all day, it’s totally understandable that the energy will abound as soon as he’s outside! A long walk or plenty of outdoor time to get some extra energy out will be super helpful when it comes to cooperation.

If possible, take your dog to the session location to get the double benefit of releasing energy and getting him familiar with the environment. If you have a friend coming to help out, they can hang out in the scheduled location while you’re off doing the first part of your session.

Bonus: Don’t forget the treats! What bundle of furry love could resist looking at the camera when Amber is holding up one of those fabulous bacon-flavored crunchy things?.

Here’s to those furry creatures that bring so much joy into our lives!

*hugs*

Amber