Photos with your Dog
The idea for this blog post may or may not have come from wanting to blog the first photos I took of Athena. Although I worked in a kennel in college and I’ve had plenty of people bring dogs to their sessions, I don’t have any experience in actual pet photography, so taking pictures of Athena was a new challenge for me. If you want to include your dog in your photos, here are a few tips!
Have realistic expectations. Most of the pictures will either have your dog sitting, standing, or walking. The pictures you saw on Pinterest where the dog is posing with your or holding a sign might not be feasible for a puppy or for an easily excited dog.
These photos were taken when Athena was 8 weeks old and we’d only had her for a few days. She was really excited to be out in an open area, and I was lucky to even have a few pictures of her sitting still.
Bring a helper. There will be photos that don’t include your dog, and there aren’t always places in sight to tie a leash. Your dog might not want to stick around the entire time either, so your helper can take the dog home.
Keep the dog on the leash. This might even be a rule for certain locations. Having your dog on a leash minimizes the chance of running into a dangerous situation or an unpleasant encounter with another human or animal in the area. I know Athena isn’t on a leash in some of these photos—there was absolutely nobody around and we were far away from the woods or the road, so she couldn’t run anywhere unsafe before we could catch her.
Choose a time and place where you would be unlikely to encounter other people or animals. For example, a session at Clemson on a weekday in June would be safer than the Friday before the homecoming game. This ties back into #3: the dog is less likely to be distracted or have an unpleasant interaction with someone. Even if your dog is friendly, whoever your dog approaches might not be.
Bring doggy bags. Nothing ruins the moment like realizing what you just stepped in. It’s something Athena likes to eat right now, which means I have to get it out of her mouth with my hands, and it drives me crazy! As new puppy owners, we’re also learning about how not picking up after your dog can spread all kinds of awful things to other animals. Keep the ground clean for us and for whoever comes through afterward.
Bring water. Athena is really good about drinking water, but if she can’t get to her bowl, she gets squirmy and whiny. Keep your dog comfortable!
Check yourselves and your dog for ticks afterwards. A tip I learned from the kennel is to keep a Dixie cup of rubbing alcohol next to you and drop the ticks into it as you pull them off. Otherwise, they could run away and you risk having them come back to you.
Dogs, as well as any animal who’s close to your heart, are always welcome as long as they’re supervised and they won’t harm anyone or anything. I’ve had one session with a chicken and one with a snake, and I’m up for pretty much anything else! Click here to contact me about setting up a session!
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Miss Clemson University 2018
I had the pleasure of shooting the Miss Clemson University pageant once again! This time, I'm sharing some of my favorite photos of each contestant in a blog post.
After the opening dance in which all 19 contestants introduced themselves, Miss Clemson University 2017, Brooklyn, entered with the Tiger and Miss Clemson Life, Megan. Brooklyn was an MC for the event with Rachel, who was Miss Clemson 2016, which led her to become Miss South Carolina and the runner-up for Miss America 2016.
(for information about purchasing photos, visit my Miss Clemson University page).
I had the pleasure of meeting Caroline a few weeks before the pageant to do her pageant headshots. She was given the Miss Congeniality award at the pageant.
Reese represented the Clemson cheerleaders and performed the cheer routine to Tiger Rag, the Clemson fight song.
I'm loving this shot from Johanna's dance! She was awarded the 4th runner up.
Laney looked like she was having so much fun with her belly dance routine!
I had to post a shot of Kyndall's dress from the back because that cape is just so cool!
Alyx sang Orange Colored Sky with an orange jumpsuit. Perfect for Clemson!
I also did Margaret's pageant headshots a few weeks before the pageant. She received the People's Choice award at the pageant.
As a lover of all things vintage, I loved Carlyle's evening gown with her hair!
Tiffany's gown looks so sparkly in the stage lights!
Shea represented Clemson Dancers, the only organization represented at the pageant that I was part of during my time at Clemson.
Katherine played one of my favorite Disney songs (When You Wish Upon a Star) and had the perfect dress to go with it!
Claire had such a fun Irish dance for her talent!
I have so many favorite photos from Logan's dance routine! She was the first runner up and had the most ad sales.
Tara's Gloria Esetefan dance routine won the award for best talent. It was a compilation of songs I used to dance to in elementary school, but of course Tara looked better :)
This is my new favorite evening gown photo! Morgan was given the philanthropy award.
It's not my best picture of Cara's talent, but it's the one that shows off her outfit the best.
Nicole's dance routine and gorgeous white evening gown helped get her to 3rd runner up as just a freshman.
Abigail also sang jazz in a Clemson colored jumpsuit, wearing purple and singing Fly Me to the Moon.
The interview portion of the pageant took place earlier in the day, so I didn't see the interview for which Makenzie was given an award. She also was named second runner-up.
Brooklyn made her final walk as Miss Clemson University. She was joined onstage by her dad and brother.
The contestants returned to the stage for the award ceremony, which started with the first-ever crowning of Miss Clemson Life, Megan. Brooklyn passed on the crown she was given for Miss Clemson University 2016.
After all of the other awards were given, Tara of the Rally Cats was crowned Miss Clemson University 2018!
To see more, and for more information on purchasing photos, visit my Miss Clemson University page.