Our Pet Portrait Experiences requires an up-front reservation retainer of $250 for everyone in your pack. Reservation retainers need to be paid in advance of your session to hold your session date.

The reservation retainer can then be applied as a product credit towards any of our physical or digital artwork options.

On average, most clients spend $1600+ or more on artwork and additional products. Artwork options start at $799.

A reservation retainer is a fee that holds your preferred date and time on my calendar.

This retainer is non-refundable and does not include any products, artwork, or digital files.

However, the retainer fee can be applied as a product credit towards our physical or digital products during your ordering appointment and image reveal. You can view our full a la carte pricing here.

Yes. We require all reservation retainers to be paid in full prior to your session to reserve your preferred appointment date and time. The reservation is non-refundable.

Your reservation retainer is non-refundable and is applied as a product credit after your session towards additional products, artwork, digital collections, etc.

If for some reason your pet is unable to move forward with the session due to injury, illness, or passing away, your reservation retainer would be refunded to you.

At this time, we offer both collections and a la carte physical and digital artwork options.

Collections include a mixture of digital and physical artwork from our best selling items and are a great option for most budgets.

We also offer a la carte options for clients who want to pick and choose their artwork, but not be limited to the constraints of a collection.

To check out our current available product offerings, click here.

Nope! But client’s can generally expect to spend around $1600+ or more on customized physical and digital artwork from their session.

We do! We offer interest free payment plans for clients and can discuss your payment plan at our image reveal and ordering appointment after your session.

Please note, clients will not receive their digital or physical products until the payment plan is paid in full.

For all sessions located within a 30-mile radius of our S Raleigh location, we do not charge travel. Nor do we charge travel for our regular session locations listed here.

For any locations outside of a 15-mile radius, we charge .57 per mile additionally, plus an hourly travel rate (if necessary), per diem, and hotel depending on the location.

Both! We adore the human-pet bond and take pride in capturing the sweet moments between you and our pup(s).

Our approach is to incorporate the parents into the session while still allowing your pup(s) to be the star of show. That is why our sessions are what we call pup-focused.

Of course, if you’d prefer for the session to be all about Fido, there are ways in which we can incorporate you without having the be the main focus of the image; this way it’s the best of both worlds!

We can talk about your preferences during our planning session together, but in the meantime, feel free to check out our portfolio for a bit of inspiration.

When working with pets, kids can be an added distraction and stressor for the pup making less of the focus on the pups.

For this reason, we do not work with children, but would be happy to refer one of our amazing family photographers to you if you are looking for a session that is more kid-focused!

For most sessions, we do have an assistant on hand especially for multi dog sessions, however, that all depends on availability!

We also ask that pet parents be hands on during sessions as you know your pet best!

If for some reason you don't feel comfortable assisting Joanne during your session or you are unable to, that can be discussed during your complimentary planning session.

Yes! For terminal or senior dogs, we offer a very special Forget Me Not session. You can learn more about that here.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3! Head to our online scheduler to book your preferred date and time, pay your retainer, and fill out your client forms. Once all of that is complete, Joanne will reach out to you closer to your session date to schedule your complimentary planning call.

If you would prefer to speak to us prior to booking, we do offer complimentary consultation calls to all potential clients to answer questions or address concerns you might have. Click here to schedule a call with us!

We generally recommend booking your session as soon as possible as we offer a limited number of sessions each month to give our clients the most individualized experience for their session and book about 4-8 weeks out in peak seasons such as Spring and Fall.

Our typical shoot days are Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays so that most of our favorite locations aren’t as busy, but can accommodate other dates for clients as needed.

While we try as hard as possible to host your session on your original date, sometimes the weather has other plans.

In the event of inclement weather, we will contact you 1-2 days prior to your session to reschedule for a new date.

This is a complimentary phone call where we get a chance to know one another a bit better and learn all about your vision for your pet’s photo session along with answering any other questions you might have. Really, we spend the majority of the time gushing over your pup(s)!

These sessions usually last about half an hour via phone.

An image reveal is your complimentary viewing and ordering appointment where we will reveal your images to you and guide you along to select your finished artwork options.

This appointment generally lasts anywhere from an hour to ninety minutes depending on the client.

Yes! Our Pet Portrait Experiences offers photos for as many pups and people as needed.

We will take individual photos of each pet as well as group photos throughout the session to give you as much variety as possible and make sure we celebrate each animal during their special session with us!

For all sessions, we recommend the parents bring the pet’s favorite, high-reward treats along with any toys they absolutely love.

We will use the different treats and toys to capture and hold their focus during the session. Plus, treats are always great for rewarding good behavior.

We also recommend you bring water and a collapsable bowl as well as any other accessories you might want to include in the shoot (i.e. bow tie, bandana, flower crown, scarf, clothes, etc).

Keep in mind that their harness may be in the photos, so we suggest, if possible, a flat, muted color collar and leash instead, so that it’s easiest to remove in post-production. A long lead is also welcome.

Our Pet Portrait Experiences are generous in length and can last anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half or longer depending on the number of people in your pack. We love to take our time with your pet and allow their personality to come out over time.

Generally, a pet’s attention span is about five minutes at a time with breaks in between, so we take our time, give them a lot of space, and capture them as they are.

All client images are delivered via email within three weeks of session date once the client has selected their final images from our image reveal and ordering appointment.

You will receive a link to your own unique online gallery where you can download and store your images.

We understand that things happen! Typically, our reservation is non-refundable.

If for some reason you and your pet are not able to move forward with your session due to illness, injury, or passing away, we will refund your reservation retainer.

Whether life happens or inclement weather occurs on our scheduled date, we do allow client’s to reschedule one time as needed.

If a session is rescheduled multiple times for non-inclement weather reasons, a client may incur a $50 rebooking fee each time they reschedule.

Our sessions are pup-focused meaning that people photos are entirely optional.

We obviously love celebrating the bond between a pet and their parents, so we always suggest hopping in for at least a few photos, but it's up to you! You'd be amazed at the power of camera angles, lighting, and framing to flatter all the subjects.

Plus, we have plenty of tricks to have you “in the photo” without being the main subject of the photo.

Or if you want a session just solely for your pup--that's fine, too!

I'm sure your dog has an entourage all of their own, but for your pet's session, we try to keep it simple.

Please leave extra pets and humans at home to ensure a calm setting without additional distractions.

The only exception is if you have multiple pups in your pack and need more hands to handle all the cuteness!

We regularly swap out between harnesses, gentle leaders and flat collars (or whatever your dog typically wears) during our time together. Sometimes a dog must be on a harness for safety or comfort, so we can work together to come up with a solution to minimize the focus of the harness.

Mostly, harnesses and gentle leaders are unable to be photoshopped out, but we have solutions and tricks to work around things like this that we can discuss during our planning session together.

If you have a sighthound or other dog that can easily slip out of a flat collar, martingale collars work well and are more photogenic than harnesses.

Sessions are held at a location of your choice in Raleigh from one of our favorite locations. We can help you select the right location for you and your pups during your complimentary planning session.

Different locations are great for different kinds of pups. We also try to keep accessibility in mind.

For an additional travel fee, you are welcome to also choose a location of your choice outside of the Raleigh area. Locations that require paid permitting will be added to a client's session fee.

Yes! For permitted locations that incur a significant permit fee, we ask that the client incur the permit cost. We, however, will schedule the permit and coordinate the date and time of the session with the location!

We offer a wide variety of heirloom, museum-quality artwork options you can purchase from your session.

For a full list, please refer to our product guide here.

No! Like we’ve mentioned before, we work with dogs of all breeds and backgrounds. You might notice we work a lot with rescue dogs; that’s because photographing shelter dogs is where we got our start. Thus, we are passionate about serving homeless dogs in our community through photography, advocacy, and fundraising. You can read more about that mission here.

We love dogs of all types and believe every dogs deserves the opportunity to be photographed.

Yes! Most of the dogs we photograph are on leash for the duration of the session for their safety. I can also capture action shots using a special long line all the while keeping your pet safe and sound. Thanks to the magic of digital artistry, the leash will be removed from any images that you order.

Yes! We have worked with pups of all ages, breeds, and temperaments. I guarantee you we have worked with dogs more anxious, wiggly, or higher energy than yours!

Of course, we always recommend that you arrive to your session a few minutes early to allow your pet to sniff around, get some excitable energy out, become more acquainted with the new place, and get a little bit of exercise, so they are focused and prepared to ‘work’ during our session.

We sure can! In fact, we’ve worked with pets with all kinds of special needs.

With that in mind, we consider their needs during our planning session and curate a shoot that will keep them safe, comfortable, and happy.

Of course, we have plenty of tricks, toys, and stinky treats up our sleeves to capture their attention and create those magical memories of them you love so much.

It's a-okay! While it's always a good idea to work on your pup's sit-and-stay skills prior to our session, I can guarantee I've worked with dogs more challenging than yours!

I have plenty of tricks to create engaging, stunning images regardless of your dog's obedience training.

At the end of the day, we will capture incredible imagery while also never forcing an animal to do something they aren't comfortable with!

That's not an issue at all! In our Locations Guide, we have several locations to choose from. Some of which are more spacious as well as private for dogs who need less people and dog distractions.

We also recommend choosing a weekday session as more locations are less busy during weekdays meaning they may be less crowded.

We absolutely do! Cat portrait sessions work a little bit differently than our dog sessions as they are usually hosted at the pet parent’s home.

But we have just as many tips and tricks to work with your feline family member as other pets that we work with!

Yes, we can. These sessions are a little different in that they are generally held at the pet’s home for safety and comfort.

This also allows us to capture them in some of their favorite places for images you’ll cherish always.

If your pet is terminal or ill, please refer to our Forget Me Not Session page.

If your pup is a breed that needs consistent grooming, we recommend having them groomed 3-4 days prior to your session. Grooming on the day of their session tends to be too exhaustive for the pup leaving them tired during their photo session.

There is a lot that goes into photographing breeds properly. As we do not have the education surrounding conformation or experience in doing so, we do not currently work with breeders and would be happy to recommend someone who does specialize in photographing pups for breeders.

We partner with our friends at MOSA Pet Spa & Resort in Cary, who are experienced with working with breeds of all shapes and sizes.

They have two locations and offer services by appointment only. Please click here to learn more about MOSA or to make an appointment.

We recommend having your dog groomed 2-3 days before their session.
Most often, if the dog is groomed on the same day, they are too exhausted to participate in the session itself.