We love to celebrate our pets birthday or gotcha days. What goes on behind the scenes?
The first question I am asked, do I have the backdrops? I have several for you to pick from. Blue for the boys, pink for the girls, and multicolor. We add some matching balloons to the floor. The balloons on the floor move around and go everywhere. Some dogs love to chase them. That's okay, I want them to have fun! If they get popped, I have more in my inventory.
Can you bring friends? Yes. I do have a limited space in studio. But we can accommodate a few friends.
Who provides the cake? The pet parent supplies the cake. Our pets may have special needs or the pet parent may want it to be specific to their likes. I have had clients that bake their own, use cupcakes, or purchase from a doggy bakery. My client purchased this cake from Pawtissiere in Hernando, Ms. She makes beautiful cakes!
Because I am usually at eye level with the dogs, sometimes cakes look flat or not seen. We have to prop the cakes up at the back for photos. Here is a tip for bakers or pet parents - bring an extra piece of cardboard to tilt the cake for the camera. It would be great if the cake board had little legs on it like our computer keyboards. Pop them up for photos.
I like to build on my images. Start with just photos. Like in this blog, the birthday boy Brownie. Slowly add in the friends. Add in the cake. Hopefully they have a good sit and stay or they would be all into that cake!
How do I get the group shots? Well, this can be work. The pet parent plays a big roll in the session. Brownies Mom was beside them. ( I used this photo with her permission ) When owners are beside pets... they usually look at you. This is what I see. This is when I am loud and making noises to get all dogs to look at me.
If I still cant get every ones attention, I have the pet parent come beside me. They need to be on the floor. Brownies Mom was telling them all to stay. This can be hard for dogs. Mom has moved her position, we are in this studio, this lady is making noises and something is about to happen.
I like for the pet parent to get close to my camera lens and hold what motivates them. It could be a ball, toy or treat.
Then let the nom-nom begin! Whewwwww it is yummy!
As long as everybody can eat together, we share! If they didn't we could divide it up and take individual photos.
Other tips from a studio owner, move the fur rug. I didn't think or catch this soon enough. I like for dogs to eat their cakes on the flooring (paper or boards) or I have plexiglass down. But no worries, the fur has been washed and good as new.
Celebrate your pets lives! Their lives are so short, sometimes 8-15 years may be all we have them. You will always love looking back at photos. I suggest getting an album that includes all the photos from your pets birthday session. I have NEVER had a client complain about purchasing their pets photos or an album. They are so thankful to have them in photos fur-ever!
I used to blow up all balloons and make arches. It was a ton of work and time. These new backdrops have cut down on labor. Plus they photograph beautiful. I have priced my birthday sessions the same as my regular. When booking a birthday session, please allow a couple of weeks before the big day. This will allow me editing time.
Celebrate those birthday and gotcha days. Because they are worth it!! They will love the attention.
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