Pet Photography Process
If you’re like me, you have a lot of questions and must know ALL the things. (Why do I have no chill!?) Then there’s other people, who just go with the flow and don’t need all the specifics right away. The top half of this page is for go-with-flower’s, bottom half is those includes elaboration on some of the basic steps for those of us who have all the questions. (Also, check out the FAQ if you read this and still want to know more!)
The Short Version
Look at your adorable pup and think ‘Gosh, you are the best and I wish I could have some beautiful pictures of you that captures your personality and our bond. I would hang them on my wall so everyone that comes into my home can bask in the glory of your amazing-ness.’ Then, give your dog(s) lots of belly rubs and thank them for being the best friend(s) you could ever ask for in the entire world.
Consultation: Detroit City Dogs photographer, Sarah, will follow up with you to schedule a consultation . This can be done over the phone or in-person - your choice! During the consultation we will work together to discuss the type of shoot you want, artwork and product pricing and scheduling. Together we will decide what package works best for you and Fido.
Boring stuff - Contract signatures and deposit payment to complete the booking process.
PHOTO DAY! This is basically just you showing up with cute dog in hand. We snap photos, I fall in love with them and try to convince you that you should let them stay with me forever. You’ll say no, I’ll be sad, but will agree to edit your dog’s photos anyway.
Proofs Delivered: Proofed photos are delivered via an online gallery. You’ll choose your favorites and decide what products and/or artwork you want.
Payment is made to the photographer for the products being purchased.
Final edits are completed and product ordered is placed.
Product Delivery! The moment you’ve been waiting for - pet photos and artwork that will bring you happiness for years to come.
A More Detailed version of the photography shoot process
Consultation: I will also ask a bunch of questions about you and your dog so that I can get a good idea of what your vision is, the type of shoot that would best suit the dog’s personality, and the next steps in completing the booking process. If the decision is made that you want to do a location or outdoor shoot, we will talk about whether you have a specific location in mind, travel costs if the location is outside the base travel range, etc. During the consultation you will have access to a pricing guide that outlines the different prints and artwork available for purchase and their correlating investment amounts.
Boring Stuff: Your deposit will be applied toward your session cost and is required for the photographer to consider that time ‘unavailable’ for other appointments. The remainder of the session fee and contract signature is due by 5 p.m the day before the shoot.
Preparation: You give your dog pep talks in the weeks leading up to the shoot while following the suggestions provided by the photographer during the consultation, many of which can be found on the page How to Avoid a Ruff Picture Day.
Photo Day: I actually won’t literally try to get you to leave your dog with me, but I am fairly certain I will love them by the time the session ends. Now that awkwardness is out of the way, here’s a little bit about how the shoot goes:
Introductions/sniffin’ it out: The dog will need time to acclimate to all the new sights, smells, sounds, and people. I will spend about 10-15 minutes having 1:1 interaction with your dog - giving them treats, seeing how they respond when I speak commands, and gauging their comfort with the lights and camera.
Photos begin: I will spend the majority of the appointment making ridiculous noises and guiding you and the dog through the shoot. Each shoot is different because each dog is different. Some dogs are more focused on the photographer with their human out of sight,. Other dogs will only obey commands given by their human. We will try to figure this out, but sometimes it can take 10-15 minutes, and that’s ok! We will figure out what makes your dog most comfortable.
End of Photo shoot: I will show you some sample prints and artwork that you could purchase of your dog.
Check out the area, if you’d like: There are a lot of great local businesses that are dog friendly in the blocks surrounding the Midtown, Detroit location. Check out my blog (coming soon) for some ideas of how you can make a fun day out of your photo shoot.
Proofs Delivered
What are proofs? They are rough edits that have basic color, tone, and exposure corrections. Purchased photos will receive a final edit which includes stray hair removal, eye boogie cleanup, blemish removal, and fine tuning. This is basically where I zoom in super close and make the necessary edits that ensure you can enlarge the picture without the risk of exposing imperfections.
Turnaround time can vary depending on the season, type of shoot, and number of locations photographs were taken. Mini shoot proofs are often delivered within 2 weeks, multi-location shoot proofs may take up to 5 weeks for delivery.
Gallery Expiration: Proof gallery will remain open for viewing and product selection for 30 days.
Product Payment: Once you notify me that you have finalized your selection and determined what products you would like to order, I will send an invoice for the total.
Product Delivery
Artwork and physical prints can be hand delivered to you at a location of your choice - whether it be meeting at a local coffee shop, you picking them up from the Midtown location, or the photographer driving to deliver them to your home. Products are always reviewed by the photographer first to ensure quality, which is why the products cannot be shipped directly from the lab to your home.
Digital images will be delivered via cloud and will be available to download for 30 days.