Want to Use Your Dog's Photos for Holiday Cards? Here's When to Schedule Your Session

Want to Use Your Dog's

Photos for Holiday Cards?

Here's When to Schedule Your Session

Every year, the holidays seem comfortably far away.

Until suddenly they're not.

If you're hoping to use professional photographs of your dog for this year's holiday cards, you may be looking at the calendar and wondering whether you've already waited too long.

The good news?

You probably haven't.

But now is the time to start planning.

Holiday cards create something we don't normally have to worry about quite as much during a photography session: a deadline.

We need time for the photography session itself, your viewing and ordering appointment, selecting your images, creating your cards and actually getting them into the mail.

And if you're thinking about giving finished artwork as a holiday gift, we need to account for production and delivery time too.

That doesn't mean we need to turn your entire photography session into Christmas.

Actually, I'd rather we didn't.

We can create the photographs you want to enjoy all year and still make sure we get something perfect for this year's holiday card.

1. If Holiday Cards Are the Goal, I'd Aim for Thanksgiving

If you're planning to mail holiday cards sometime in December, I'd recommend having your photography session completed by Thanksgiving.

That's not a magical cutoff where photographs suddenly become impossible on Friday morning.

It's about giving everyone some breathing room.

After your session, we still need to select your favorite photographs and decide exactly how you'd like to use them.

Then there needs to be time to create and order the cards, have them delivered and eventually address all those envelopes you've been pretending aren't going to take that long.

The closer we get to the holidays, the less flexibility we have if something doesn't go exactly according to plan.

For an outdoor session, weather can complicate things even more. A rainy November afternoon is much easier to deal with when we have some room left on the calendar than when we're trying to squeeze everything in at the last possible moment.

If holiday cards are important to you, tell me when we plan your session.

Knowing there's a deadline helps us work backward from it instead of discovering afterward that we needed those photographs two weeks ago.

2. A Studio Session Gives Us Even More Flexibility

If we're working against a holiday deadline, the studio gives us some significant advantages.

We don't have to worry about rain.

We don't have to chase an increasingly early sunset.

And we aren't dependent on what the trees happen to look like outside.

Inside the studio, we can make it look like pretty much any season we want.

I have a variety of backdrops, props and setups that give us the ability to create different looks throughout the year.

Want something obviously festive?

We can do that.

Want something that feels a little more wintery without screaming Christmas?

We can do that too.

Want a completely timeless studio portrait that just happens to become your holiday card?

Absolutely.

The calendar may say November, but inside the studio we have considerably more control over what season the photograph says it is.

There's another advantage when we're working within a tighter timeline.

With studio sessions, we may be able to hold your viewing and ordering appointment immediately after the photography portion of your session.

That means we can photograph your dog, take a little break, and then sit down together to look through the images and make your selections the same day.

Removing the need to coordinate a separate viewing appointment can help move the entire process along considerably faster.

3. Your Entire Session Doesn't Have to Become a Holiday Session

This is an important distinction.

If you'd like photographs for your holiday cards, that doesn't mean we're suddenly turning your entire photography session into a Christmas-themed session.

We can simply incorporate holiday photographs into the session we're already planning.

Maybe we start by creating the studio portraits you'd love to display as wall art throughout the year.

We can photograph different expressions, create some personality images and get photographs of you with your dog.

Then we change the setup or introduce a few holiday elements and create the images you need for your cards.

You don't have to choose between having a dog photography session and having holiday photographs.

We can do both.

The holiday card is one use for the photographs we're creating.

It doesn't need to define the entire experience.

4. Your Holiday Card Doesn't Have to Look Like a HOLIDAY Card

There's also no rule saying your holiday card photograph needs to contain decorations, fake snow, or a particular color theme.

A beautiful photograph of your dog surrounded by New England fall foliage can make a fantastic holiday card.

So can a clean studio portrait.

So can a photograph of your family with your dogs.

If you love an obvious holiday theme, we can absolutely create one.

But if that's not your style, don't feel like you need to turn your dog into a walking holiday decoration just because you're mailing the photograph in December.

There's also a practical advantage to keeping at least some of the photographs non-seasonal.

The holiday card may come down in January.

The portrait hanging on your wall doesn't.

I'd much rather give you photographs that still make sense in your home in April, July and September while also creating something you can't wait to send to everyone on your holiday card list.

5. Holiday Photographs Aren't Just for Cards

Holiday cards aren't the only reason clients sometimes come to me with a December deadline.

Photographs can also become gifts.

I've had clients order wall artwork or smaller desk art as gifts for their dog's "grandpawrents."

Which, personally, seems like a pretty effective way to make sure the dog remains the favorite grandchild. 😂

If you're thinking about giving finished artwork as a holiday gift, though, I want to know that as early as possible.

A photograph may be ready relatively quickly.

Finished artwork takes longer.

We need to choose the photograph, decide what we're creating, place the order, allow time for production and then have the finished piece delivered.

That's another reason I don't want to discover at the end of the process that something we've been creating is supposed to be underneath someone's Christmas tree.

Tell me what you're thinking during your consultation.

Even if you aren't completely sure yet, knowing that a holiday gift is a possibility means we can keep the deadline in mind while we plan.

6. Outdoor November Sessions Can Still Work Too

Choosing a November session doesn't automatically mean choosing the studio.

We can absolutely photograph outdoors.

Late fall gives us a different look than October's peak foliage, but different doesn't mean worse.

The bigger considerations are daylight, temperature and weather.

Sunset gets considerably earlier as we move through November, which means afternoon sessions need to begin earlier too.

Temperatures can also become less predictable, and what's comfortable for one dog may not be appropriate for another.

And then there's rain.

When we're photographing simply because we want beautiful photographs, moving a rainy session to another date may be relatively easy.

When those photographs also need to become holiday cards, our calendar has a deadline attached to it.

That's why I'd rather start planning now and leave ourselves some flexibility than schedule everything at the last possible moment and hope Massachusetts weather decides to cooperate.

7. And Yes, You Can Be in the Holiday Photos Too

Your dog doesn't have to handle holiday-card duty alone.

You can absolutely be in the photographs.

Couples with their dogs.

Families with their dogs.

Kids with the dog.

Everyone together.

Or some combination of all of the above.

We don't have to create only one photograph and declare that the official family holiday portrait.

We can create different combinations throughout the session and decide afterward which photograph makes the most sense for the card.

And even if you originally booked the session because you wanted photographs of your dog, I'd still encourage you to step into at least a few.

Years from now, those photographs may mean considerably more than you expect.

8. What Should Everyone Wear?

Holiday photographs don't necessarily require holiday outfits.

For people, I generally recommend coordinating rather than matching.

Seasonal colors can work beautifully if that's your style, but nobody needs to show up looking like they were issued the official family Christmas uniform.

The same applies to your dog.

A seasonal collar, bow tie or bandana can add a subtle holiday touch without becoming the entire focus of the photograph.

Of course, subtle isn't mandatory either.

I've photographed a Shiba Inu wearing one of those Santa costumes where it looks like the dog is running around with Santa riding on their back.

So if that's your dog's particular brand of holiday spirit, I'm certainly not going to stand in the way. 😂

The important thing is that whatever you choose still feels like you and your dog.

And if you're wondering what the humans should wear, I've put together a full guide on what to wear for your dog's photography session.

Don't Wait for the "Perfect" Holiday Moment

Holiday cards have a funny way of feeling like a December project.

But if you want professional photographs on those cards, the photography needs to happen before then.

November can absolutely work.

We can photograph outdoors.

We can create something seasonal in the studio.

We can add a few holiday photographs to an otherwise completely normal session.

And if we're working within a tighter timeline, a studio session may even give us the opportunity to photograph your dog and hold your viewing and ordering appointment on the same day.

The important part is starting the conversation early enough that we still have options.

Because while creating a great holiday card might be the reason you finally schedule the session, that's not the only thing we're creating.

The cards will eventually come off everyone's refrigerators.

The decorations will go back into storage.

But you'll still have the photographs of your dog exactly as they are right now.

And those don't have a season.