How Much Does Professional Dog Photography Cost in LA
Are you researching dog photography near you and wondering how much you can expect to spend? With any photography genre, prices can vary greatly. If you’re looking to enjoy a professional dog photography experience with portraits to cherish for a lifetime, I hope this guide answers all of your price questions.
For high-quality professional images and artwork of your pup, you can expect to invest between $1,000 to $5,000 or more, depending on the amount of artwork you purchase.
I’d love to walk you through the behind-the-scenes of every dog photography session and what goes into becoming a professional dog photographer. You’ll see that it’s more than worth the investment!
Behind-the-Scenes of a Dog Photography Session
At Dog Inspired Photography, I don’t just show up and click some buttons on my camera; there are hours of behind-the-scenes work leading up to and after the session. Here’s my typical dog photography process to show you.
1. Consultation (I call this the Info Session) - The first step in my signature dog photography process is a virtual consultation. This isn’t any normal “sales call.” This is simply a chance for us to connect and get to know each other. I’m able to explain the rest of the process and what you can expect while answering all of your questions. We can see if we vibe, as the kids say.
2. Session Planning - There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes during the session planning part of the photography process. I want to know everything there is to know about your pup and you so that I can tailor the session. We’ll choose an outdoor location, make sure you know what to wear, and give any tips to ensure your pup is ready for their big day.
3. Session Day Experience - The best day! We meet up for our outdoor pet photography session. I truly love getting to know you and your pup. I started this business because of my love of capturing better photos of my girls, and I head into every session with the same goal for your pup. I try to capture your pet’s unique personality, your unbreakable bond, and so much more. My hope is that you can treasure these images for years to come.
4. Editing (aka Photoshop magic) - After the session, I roll up my sleeves and start the editing process. If you ever feel like, “How on earth can the photographer get any good photos of my wiggly dog?” The editing process is how! Not to mention my super fast camera - I can capture even the fastest and most wiggly dogs with my camera with settings specialized for animal photography. During the editing process, I can edit out any leashes, people in the background, and touch up that perfect close-up of your dog. I spend hours editing every session - and I love it!
5. Image Reveal - Once the photos are ready, we’ll schedule our image reveal. Instead of just firing off a digital gallery for you to forget about, we spend an intentional hour together looking over the best images from our day together. You get to actually experience each image and really see which ones are your favorites. I never want your images to hide in a device or on the cloud. You deserve to enjoy these images every day, which brings me to our last step.
6. Product Designing and Ordering - We’ll turn your images into priceless portrait artwork. I’m here to make this process stress-free and easy for you. Once you choose your favorite images, I can mock-up the designs in my software so you can really see what you like best and how it would look in your home. Let me handle the work of designing your custom album so you can enjoy your images faster!
My clients come to me with all sorts of budgets that I’m more than happy to work with. With my pricing structure, a session fee covers my time and talents as well as a product credit to use toward whatever you want; then, you purchase your images and products. What I love about this structure is that you only purchase what you love. Clients can walk away from this experience with a few prints and digitals or custom wall art and albums that they’ll love for a lifetime.
What Goes into Becoming a Professional Dog Photographer
You probably don’t need to know this, but I thought it would be interesting to showcase what goes into becoming a professional dog photographer!
1. Photography Training and Education - I’ve invested hours into photography training and education to keep honing my skills and bring you the best techniques possible. I’m truly passionate about photography, so this is fun for me to do! If you’re looking to learn a thing or two yourself, you can check out Inspawration Photography School. I learned a lot from her online courses!
2. Dog Training and Education - As pet photographers, it’s important that we invest time and energy into learning how to communicate with dogs. I’ve spent many hours reading dog training and communication books and working with certified dog trainers for my own girls, and these skills have translated into my photography business.
3. Equipment - While it’s not the camera itself, it’s the photographer behind the camera, having good equipment is a must. As a pet photographer, I’m equipped with special lenses so that I can take photos from a far distance away for any reactive dogs I’m photographing. My camera also has special features designed specifically for photographing animals.
4. Software / Image Editing - Are you wondering how none of my dogs are wearing leashes in their photos? It’s not possible. It’s because of editing. I recommend dogs wear leashes during their photography sessions to keep everybody safe and abiding to local leash laws. After the session, I go through and edit any leashes away and touch up anything else that needs it.
LA Dog Photography
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You are my people!
If you’re looking for a professional dog photography session, I’d love to be your photographer! The first step is scheduling your consultation. Please click here to get in touch with me.
