Should You Bring Your Dog's Favorite Toy to a Photography Session?
Should You Bring Your Dog's
Favorite Toy to a Photography Session?
You're getting ready for your dog's photography session and gathering everything you think you might need.
Leash.
Treats.
Water.
Poop bags.
Then you look at the battered tennis ball, half-destroyed stuffed animal or favorite toy your dog carries everywhere.
Should you bring that too?
Absolutely!
If your dog has a favorite ball, Frisbee, tug toy, stuffed animal or some bizarre object they've decided is the greatest possession on Earth, bring it.
We may use it throughout the session. We may use it for five minutes. We may decide it needs to remain safely hidden until we're ready to unleash whatever chaos its appearance is going to cause.
But I'd much rather have it available.
Toys aren't just props for photographs. They can help get your dog's attention, create action, give your dog a break and sometimes tell us something about the dog we're photographing.
And occasionally they make an appearance simply because no accurate record of your dog's life would be complete without that ridiculous stuffed animal they've carried around for the last five years.
Sometimes a Toy Is the Easiest Way to Get Your Dog's Attention
This is probably the most obvious reason we might use a toy during a photography session.
Sometimes I just need your dog to look in my direction.
A squeaker, ball or favorite stuffed animal can be perfect for getting their attention for a moment. That might give us perked-up ears, a head tilt or exactly the expression I'm looking for.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to spend the entire session dangling a toy over my camera.
It's just one of the tools we can use.
And every dog reacts differently.
One dog hears a squeaker and gives me the perfect head tilt.
Another hears the same squeaker and immediately decides that finding and murdering whatever made that noise is now the only important objective in life.
Both reactions tell me something about the dog in front of me.
Favorite toys can be useful for getting attention, creating expressions and showing a little more of your dog's personality.
Favorite Toys Can Create Great Action Photographs
If your dog loves chasing a ball or Frisbee, we've already got an activity they understand.
I don't have to teach them how to run for a ball.
They know this game.
Throw it.
Chase it.
Catch it.
Bring it back.
Maybe bring it back.
Okay, bringing it back is apparently optional. 😂
That gives us opportunities to photograph the launch, the chase, the catch and whatever ridiculous expression happens somewhere in between.
The same thing can happen with tug toys or other toys your dog likes to play with.
Instead of manufacturing movement just because I want an action photograph, we can photograph your dog doing something they genuinely enjoy.
Those photographs aren't simply about a dog running.
They're about your dog playing.
Toys Can Give Your Dog a Break Without Really Stopping the Session
Photography sessions aren't obedience competitions, but we're still asking your dog to do things they don't normally spend an afternoon doing.
We may move to different areas of a location, change positions, ask them to wait for a few moments or simply ask for their attention more often than they're used to.
Eventually, they may need a break.
And sometimes the best break is play.
We can throw the ball.
Play tug.
Let them grab their stuffed animal and parade around with it.
For a few minutes, we're not asking your dog for anything. They get a safe release and an opportunity to do something familiar and fun.
That can help them reset before we move on to something else.
And I don't necessarily put the camera down.
Some of my favorite photographs can happen during the moments when the dog is technically taking a break.
They're relaxed. They're playing. They're being themselves.
That's exactly what I want to photograph anyway.
Play can create great action photographs while also giving a dog a break from everything else we're asking them to do.
Stuffed Animals Are Absolutely Welcome
Balls and Frisbees aren't the only toys worth bringing.
Stuffies are absolutely welcome.
And yes, that applies to both studio and outdoor sessions.
Over the years I've photographed dogs with stuffed wolves, Lamb Chop, a stuffed pickle and just about everything in between.
Some dogs carry their stuffies.
Some cuddle with them.
Some proudly show them off.
Others appear determined to demonstrate exactly how quickly they could remove every piece of stuffing if given the opportunity.
If your dog genuinely loves it, bring it.
It doesn't have to be something you'd normally think belongs in a professional photograph.
Sometimes the fact that it doesn't belong is exactly what makes the photograph interesting.
Wolves, Lamb Chop, pickles... I've seen quite the collection over the years.
Toys Can Add Color and Personality to Studio Photographs
Toys can serve another purpose during studio sessions.
Color.
In the studio, I have much more control over the background, lighting and overall look of an image. A brightly colored ball or stuffed animal can become another element in the photograph.
Sometimes it gives us a small pop of color.
Other times the colors in the toy can work with the background or lighting to help create the entire look of the image.
That doesn't mean you need to go shopping for a toy that matches the color palette we've planned.
Please don't.
I'd much rather photograph your dog with something that actually belongs to them.
If their beloved stuffed pickle happens to give us the perfect pop of green, even better.
In the studio, a favorite toy can sometimes add another element of color and personality to the photograph.
Sometimes the Favorite Toy Needs to Stay in the Bag
There's also a very important skill involved in using your dog's favorite toy during a photography session.
Knowing when not to use it.
Some dogs like their toys.
Other dogs lose all ability to function as a member of society the instant THE BALL appears.
Once that happens, sitting quietly for a portrait may no longer be particularly high on their list of priorities.
So if I know we're going to want some quieter portraits, photographs with you or other images where I need your dog's attention somewhere other than the toy, we may deliberately save their favorite thing for later in the session.
The toy isn't going anywhere.
We just need to be strategic about when it makes its appearance.
Because once Ball has entered the chat, Ball may be the only participant your dog is interested in for the remainder of the session.
For some dogs, once the favorite toy appears, absolutely nothing else matters.
Your Dog's Favorite Toy Doesn't Need to Be Pretty
You don't need to buy something new for your dog's photography session because you think it will look better in the photographs.
Actually, I'd prefer that you didn't.
Bring their toy.
The filthy tennis ball.
The Frisbee covered in teeth marks.
The stuffed animal that's missing an ear.
The toy you've washed seventeen times but somehow still looks disgusting.
That's the one I want to know about.
We certainly don't have to include it in every photograph. We may only use it for a few minutes.
But if that object is genuinely part of your dog's personality and daily life, that's much more interesting to me than a perfectly coordinated photography prop.
We're photographing your dog.
The weird stuff is part of the package.
It doesn't need to be new or photogenic. Sometimes the well-loved toys tell us much more about the dog.
Toys Can Help Tell the Story of Your Relationship
Sometimes the important part isn't the toy at all.
It's what you do with it together.
Maybe Dad is the person who throws the ball every night.
Maybe Mom plays tug.
Maybe your dog brings a particular toy to one of the kids whenever they want to play.
Those are little pieces of the relationship you've built with your dog.
And if we can photograph them, we aren't inventing an interaction simply because there's a camera pointed at you.
We're documenting something you actually do together.
Those photographs can become just as meaningful as the portraits where everyone is looking perfectly at the camera.
Someday That Stupid Toy Might Mean More Than You Expect
Right now, it might just be the disgusting toy you're tired of stepping on.
But the little details of life with our dogs have a way of becoming much more important later.
Someday you might see that toy in a photograph and immediately remember your dog carrying it through the house.
Dropping it at your feet every night.
Bringing it to the door when you came home.
Sleeping with it.
Or insisting that this particular tennis ball was somehow vastly superior to the twelve seemingly identical tennis balls sitting next to it.
A favorite toy might seem like a silly detail now.
Years from now, it may be one of the details that brings your dog rushing back into your memory.
Not because the toy mattered.
Because they loved it.
Sometimes the smallest details of life with our dogs become the things we remember most.
And It Doesn't Necessarily Have to Be a Toy
If there's something else that's part of your dog's life, tell me about that too.
Maybe it's a special blanket they've had since they were a puppy.
Maybe it's something associated with an activity you do together.
Maybe it's equipment used by a working dog.
Or maybe it's something I haven't thought of at all.
If you find yourself thinking, "This is just part of who my dog is," mention it during your consultation.
That doesn't necessarily mean it needs to appear in the finished photographs.
But I'd rather know about it so we can decide together than have you think afterward, "I wish we'd gotten one photograph with that."
Bring the Ridiculous Stuffed Pickle
So if you're packing for your dog's photography session and wondering whether you should bring their favorite toy, bring it.
We might use it to get their attention.
We might use it to create action photographs.
We might pull it out when they need a break.
We might build an entire photograph around it.
Or we might decide that the tennis ball needs to remain safely hidden until the last ten minutes because your dog will lose their mind the second they see it.
Either way, I'd rather have it available.
So bring the ball.
Bring Lamb Chop.
Bring the stuffed wolf.
And yes, bring the ridiculous stuffed pickle.
Your dog apparently has excellent taste. 😂
Thinking about booking a portrait session for your pup? Here's some other useful information:
List of Services
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My Dog Won't Sit Still and Can't Be Off Leash. Can You Still Photograph Them?List Item 1
High energy, unreliable recall and a leash don't prevent us from creating great photographs.
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What Happens During a Dog Photography Consultation?List Item 2
See how we'll plan your dog's session around their personality, your ideas and the photographs you'd love to create.
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Should You Be in the Photos With Your Dog?List Item 3
Why stepping into a few photographs with your dog may matter more than you expect.
