7 Tips to Prepare for Your Tampa Bay Area Pet Photography Session
So, you’ve booked your pet photography session - now what? Now you get to feel excited about your pet portraits and dream about how you want to print your beautiful images. As a Tampa area pet photographer, I love getting to know my clients and their pets. We collaborate to plan out their custom pet portrait session together. Below are the 7 top tips I share with my clients to help them prepare for their upcoming session.



7 Tips to Prepare for Your Pet Photography Session
1. Choose the Right Photographer - This one might seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning. The best way to prepare for an upcoming pet photo session is by finding the best pet photographer. Find one that you can trust to capture images of your pet that you’ll be able to treasure forever.
2. Think About Your Future Artwork - It may feel counterintuitive to think about this before we even have the session, but spend some time thinking about how you want to print your images. Do you want a print in your living room? Do you want to create an album? Just thinking this over helps us plan the session with the end in mind and will help me tailor your session to achieve your goals.
3. Grooming - If you prefer a well-groomed look for your pet, please have your pet groomed and/or bathed a week or so before the photography session. I don’t recommend grooming the day before so that they don’t look too groomed. This is completely optional and based on your personal preference. For example, I personally prefer my own dog to look a bit “scruffy” in his pictures, so I wouldn’t have him groomed the week before. It’s totally up to you.
4. Feed Normally - There’s no need to change their feeding schedule on the session day. Please feed your pet their usual meal at the usual time prior to the session so they’ll be happy and on schedule.
5. Take a Quick Walk Before the Session - Taking your pet for a gentle walk or light exercise before the session helps expend nervous energy and rambunctiousness. They’ll get any wiggles out and feel calmer. It’s not the day for a long walk or hike, but a short walk is perfect. Please allow your pet to go potty before the session so that they are comfortable.
6. Bring Treats and Toys - Things with familiar smells are comforting to an animal, so feel free to bring a favorite toy or two as well as a blanket from home. You can bring their favorite treats to help us get the perfect photos during the session. If we discuss any other props for the session, be sure to bring those. Oh, and don’t forget to bring water for your pet and yourself.
7. Have Patience and Have Fun - The session will be a lot of fun. I urge you to come with a lot of patience for yourself, your pet(s), and any children. Animals have short attention spans, very much like young children, so they will get distracted and need breaks. Most of the session will involve repositioning pets and people. This is normal, and I expect it to happen. There’s a lot of laughter and joy happening during the session, and I’m right there taking as many photos as I can to ensure I can deliver the perfect ones for you to keep.

Your Tampa Pet Photographer
It’s such a treat for me to get to know you and your family throughout our time together. From planning the session to the session day to finally your artwork installation day, my goal is to create a seamless and easygoing experience. Your pet deserves the best, and you do too. If you want to schedule your pet photography session with me, please contact me here.