Today, we are going to talk all about how you can capture more variety in your Pet Photography sessions.

This is especially important if you want to provide a well rounded session to your clients, but also if you want to sell more in the way of digital packages, albums, wall art, etc.

The reason why I know this is so important is that I got my first four star review EVER for not having enough variety from a client session.

The client loved the images, but stated that they lacked enough variation.

In my defense, it was an older Senior dog that just wanted to lay down the whole time, but the client was right… I could’ve done more to offer up more variety from the session.

So, since then I’ve been on a mission for every single session to offer up as many unique images as possible and I’ve learned a ton along the way.

Now, I’m sharing all of my best tips with you!

If by chance you prefer to watch video instead, you can check out the companion video here.

PS. Want a bit more help? Get our free Pet Photography Checklist download as a roadmap to setting up your business from the legal perspective!

Change Your Perspective

The most common thing I see new photographers doing is photographing from straight on and above their client, which if you do that for every pose can look very similar.

Try shooting from an angle to the side or even from behind to change your perspective and get a different ‘view’ on the scene.

Changing your perspective with the pet from shooting very low (getting into their world) to up high (as we would see them or their pet parent would see them).

Think about instead of trying a different pose, “How can I photograph this differently? What other angle can I try?”

Utilize Different Kind Of Light

Photography literally means “drawing with light.”

So, it’s natural that you’ll need to learn how to work with all sorts of lighting.

Using light to create variety in your session is no exception.

Lighting can make such an impact in your images from gorgeous, rich, and warm backlight to cooler, soft and creamy shade, to everything in between.

I often will work with many kinds of lighting throughout a session, so full sun action shots to to start, then maybe some open shade portraits, and as the sun gets lower, a soft backlit shot, and even a bit of twilight silhouettes lighting depending on what my client wants from their session.

Not only is lighting something you’ll already be learning as a photographer, but using it to your advantage to create more variety will be super useful, too.

Capture Various Expressions

Obviously, when working with people, we want them to have a pleasant expression on their face, but when it comes to their pets, we definitely want to work to capture a wide variety of expressions.

This is even more true if I am doing solely a pet-focused session with no people.

Also, some clients prefer for their dogs mouths to be closed while others prefer for their dog to have an open mouth and be “smiling.”

I never quite know the reason why clients prefer one over the other, so I always work to give them the best of both worlds especially for dogs who are usually stoic or are derpy and have a lolling tongue all of the time.

From silly treat catching shots to serious head tilts to calm, soft smiles and everything in between, capturing as many expressions as you can with a pet you are working with is going to bode well for your sales session, but also for offering up more variety from the session.

Try A Variety Of Poses

Alongside the same bead of thought are using a variety of poses for both pets and pets and their people!

By changing up posing, you are lending to more variety throughout the session from laying to standing to sitting to walking and more.

But, posing pets along with pets and their people can be a little bit more challenging than you think, especially if you are just getting started.

So, I just released my brand new Pet & People Posing Guide with thirty-seven poses for both pets and their people that I rinse and repeat with each client leaving a little room for candid moments, too. It comes with imagery for inspiration and some technique and additional tips, too.

Do try as much as you can to opt for different poses throughout your session, because that’s going to give your client lots of options to choose from from their session and choose the images that best fit the relationship between them and their dog.

SUGGESTED RESOURCE: Pet & People Posing Guide PDF

Take Advantage Of Different Focal Lengths

I wanted to put this one close to last, because it may be that you aren’t able to take advantage of this one just yet especially if you are only working with one lens when you are first getting started.

When I first started, the only lens I had was a 50mm Prime portrait lens that didn’t really allow me much in terms of variety in focal lengths.

And that’s okay. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?

But if by chance, you do have various focal lengths / lenses to work with (i.e. how much of a scene the lens captures either wide or more narrow), try out different focal length during your session!

I love to go very wide for an environmental shot say at 35mm and then work towards a more compressed one at 200mm to have a moment of togetherness really focusing on the moment between my client and their pet getting rid of all distractions and anything around them.

Different focal lengths give you not only the option to show more or less of a scene around you, but they do also give you a bit more of creative and aesthetic control for what you are looking to capture from the session.

But, they also help you create lots of cool variety from your session outside of all of the other tips we’ve covered already, too!

BONUS: Watch For The Candid Moments

Do not spend so much time peeping at the back of your camera during the session that you actually forget to photograph what is happening right in front of you!

I cannot tell you how many times I have done this where I miss an adorable shot entirely because I am checking the back of the camera to see what I’ve got.

I try really hard to wait and do that at the end of the session now, so that I am always at the ready to capture those candid moments.

As I always say, candid shots aren’t always the best compositionally and they may not win any awards, but your clients will absolutely love them!

That about sums it up. So, get out there, get photographing, and create some incredible variety for your clients!