How Far in Advance Should You Book a Dog Photography Session?

If you're waiting for the leaves to start changing before you start planning your fall dog photography session, you may already be a little late.

But the truth is, there isn't one perfect answer to the question, “How far in advance should I book?”

The season matters. Your schedule matters. Your dog's needs matter. And if you have a specific location, date or deadline in mind, that matters too.

Some sessions benefit from being planned months ahead. Others can happen relatively quickly. Studio sessions give us considerably more flexibility, while something as specific as peak fall foliage gives us a much smaller window.

So rather than giving you an arbitrary number of weeks, let's look at what actually determines when you should start planning.

1. Fall Sessions: Earlier Is Better

Fall is easily one of the most popular times of year for outdoor dog photography in New England.

And for good reason.

The cooler temperatures can be more comfortable for dogs, the foliage gives us beautiful colors to work with, and earlier sunsets mean our evening sessions

start at much more reasonable times.

The challenge is that everyone else knows how great fall is too.

If you're hoping for an October session, particularly on a weekend, I recommend starting the conversation during the summer rather than waiting until October arrives.

We're balancing your schedule, my schedule, the location, changing sunset times, weather and the relatively short foliage season. Building in some flexibility also gives us options if Mother Nature decides not to cooperate on our original date.

If you're considering fall portraits, I recently wrote more about why fall is one of my favorite times for a dog photography session.

The important thing to remember is that you don't need to know exactly when peak foliage will happen before contacting me.

Mother Nature doesn't give either of us her calendar.

We can figure that part out together.

2. WINTER SESSIONS CAN BE SURPRISINGLY FLEXIBLE

Winter doesn't get nearly as much attention as fall, but it can create some beautiful portraits.

Bare trees, muted colors and quieter locations can give photographs a completely different feel from the rest of the year.

And then there's snow.

If you're specifically dreaming about portraits of your dog in fresh snow, scheduling works a little differently.

We can plan for a general time period, but Massachusetts weather ultimately gets the final say. When the right conditions appear, we may need to move relatively quickly.

That's one of those situations where contacting me ahead of time helps. I know what you're hoping for, and when conditions line up, we already have much of the planning done.

3. SPRING SESSIONS DEPEND ON THE LOOK YOU'RE AFTER

Spring gives us a little more flexibility, but timing still matters if there's a particular look you're hoping to create.

Early spring can be quiet and earthy. As the season progresses, grass becomes greener, trees fill in and flowers begin appearing.

If there's a particular spring look you're hoping for, it's worth starting the conversation several weeks ahead so we have time to choose a location and find the right window.

Weather can also be unpredictable, so having some flexibility in the schedule is always helpful.

4. SUMMER IS MOSTLY ABOUT LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE

Summer has long days, which sounds like it should make scheduling easy.

Sometimes it does.

But those long days also push our best outdoor light surprisingly early or late.

During the height of summer, evening sessions may begin much later than people expect. Morning sessions can mean meeting around 5:30 AM if we're trying to take advantage of the best light before the day heats up.

Yes, I'll do it.

No, I'm not going to pretend I enjoy setting my alarm that early.

I do bring coffee, though.

Temperature also becomes part of the planning process. For dogs that don't tolerate heat particularly well, we may need to choose cooler days, earlier mornings or wait for a stretch of more comfortable weather.

The goal is never to force a session onto the calendar just because that's the date we originally picked.

Your dog's comfort comes first.

5. Studio Sessions Give Us Much More Flexibility

Studio photography is a completely different animal.

Because we're controlling the lighting and environment, we aren't waiting for golden hour, worrying about rain or trying to predict when the leaves will change.

Studio sessions can happen throughout the year.

They tend to become especially popular during the colder months, but there's absolutely no reason we can't photograph indoors in June, September or any other time of year.

My studio is located in my home, which gives sessions a private, relaxed environment without the activity of a commercial studio. It is also part of a real family home.

I do everything I can to keep the space quiet and distractions to a minimum during sessions, although every once in a while one of my kids may arrive home and ask the inevitable question:  “Can we say hi to the dog?”

I always leave that decision up to the client and, more importantly, the dog.

For some dogs, another new person would be an unnecessary distraction. For others, making a new friend is apparently the highlight of their afternoon.



If your dog is particularly sensitive to children, unfamiliar voices or activity elsewhere in the house, just let me know during our consultation. It's another thing I can consider when choosing the best day and time for your session.

6. Best of Both Worlds Sessions Need a Little More Planning

For clients who want both outdoor and studio portraits, my Best of Both Worlds sessions combine the two.

These require a little more planning simply because we're coordinating two different environments.

Whenever possible, I prefer to schedule the outdoor portion first.

We can take advantage of the best available natural light, then transition back to the studio for the indoor portion of the session.

There's another advantage to doing things in that order.

Once we've finished photographing in the studio, we may be able to transition directly into a same-day viewing and ordering appointment.

The dog gets to relax, you get to see what we've created, and we can start designing the finished artwork while the experience is still fresh.



It's an incredibly streamlined way to experience the entire process.

8. Finished Artwork May Need an Earlier Start

Holiday cards aren't the only reason a deadline matters.

Maybe you're creating an anniversary gift.

Maybe someone's birthday is approaching.

Or maybe you want a finished portrait, album or collection ready to give someone during the holidays.

Different types of custom artwork have different production timelines, so this is something I want to know about before the session.

Rather than simply scheduling the photography and hoping everything arrives in time, we can work backward from the date you actually need the finished artwork.



That takes a lot of unnecessary stress out of the process.

9. If You Need a Particular Date, Reach Out Earlier

The more specific your needs are, the farther ahead you should plan.

If you're available almost any evening over a three-week period, we probably have plenty of flexibility.

If the only date your entire family can be together is Saturday, October 17, that's a very different situation.

The same goes for particular locations, travel schedules or other circumstances that give us a narrow window.

You don't necessarily need to book months ahead for every session.

But if you have very little flexibility, starting earlier gives us the best chance of making everything work.

10. For Senior Dogs, Don't Wait for the Perfect Season

There's one situation where I'm much less concerned about what my normal booking timeline looks like.

If you're thinking about a session because your dog is getting older or their health has recently changed, please reach out.

Don't wait until October because you really wanted fall leaves.

Don't wait until spring because the flowers might be prettier.

And don't assume that because the calendar looks busy, there's no point in asking.

We'll figure out what makes sense now.

There will always be another fall.



The opportunity to photograph your dog exactly as they are today isn't something I'd take for granted.

You Don't Need to Have Everything Figured Out Before You Contact Me

This may actually be the most important part of this entire article.

Sometimes people hesitate to schedule a consultation because they think they're supposed to know exactly what they want first.

You don't.

You don't need to know whether you want Ashland State Park or the studio.

You don't need to know whether you want a large wall portrait or an album.

You don't need to have everyone's outfits picked out.

You don't need to know what backdrop you'd choose.

You don't even necessarily need to know exactly when you'd like the session.

You can simply tell me:

“I've been thinking I'd really like to do this.”

That's enough.

That's exactly what the Dog Photography Consultation Process is for.

We'll talk about your dog, their personality and needs, what you love about them, the type of photographs you're drawn to, where you might like to display the finished artwork and what time of year makes the most sense.

Then we'll figure out the rest together.

So, How Far Ahead Should You Book?

The more specific your vision or deadline, the earlier we should start talking.

If you want peak fall foliage, a particular weekend, holiday cards in the mail by December 15 or finished artwork ready for a specific occasion, planning ahead gives us considerably more flexibility.

If you're considering a studio session and your schedule is flexible, we may not need nearly as much lead time.

But the best time to start planning isn't necessarily three weeks, six weeks or three months before you'd like your session.

It's when you first find yourself thinking:

“I'd really like to do this.”

Reach out then.

We can figure out the season, location, timing, artwork and all the other details together.

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