By Rohit Agarwal*
To be honest, as dog parents, don’t we just love taking pictures of our dogs? If it were possible, we wouldn’t miss to document any of those fleeting yet beautiful moments of our beloved dogs, be it their funny faces, toothy grins, wet noses, hanging tongues or wagging tails.
And let’s give ourselves a pat on back in putting the effort to capture these moments with our smartphones. Though this lets us document the moment in some way but it still doesn’t give us that unforgettable picture to look back and reminisce upon. Let me make it simple for you and list down the reasons (in no particular order) to tell you why you should hire a professional pet photographer to celebrate the beautiful bond that exists between your dog and your family and why is the investment worth it. Shall we begin?
They are your family
“It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” – John Grogan. Your dog is a dear part of your family and the moments that you spend together deserve to be immortalized in professional portraits that show off the beautiful bond that all of your family and your dog share. There are so many personal moments that you share with your dog, which deserve to be captured with same emotions and finesse. There can be many moments that, if not captured, will be lost forever.
You outlive your dog
Would like to quote the words of Agnes Sligh Turnbull, which read “Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really”. Dogs in their short lives teach us so many things – staying happy and joyful, living their lives to the fullest without any worry. Wish you could capture all those wonderful moments spent with them that give you joy and immortalize those memories when they are not with you. Your professional photo shoot with your pet will be one of the few professional photos taken of them, which you can look back on and smile. Such sessions by professional pet photographers ensure that your dog will be remembered for years and years to come and you will be able to grieve peacefully and have closure after your dog has crossed rainbow bridge.
You need an expert
“The dog is the perfect portrait subject. He doesn’t pose. He isn’t aware of the camera.” – Patrick Demarchelier. Believe me, when I say that dog photography is one of the most difficult genres of photography, and the most difficult part of pet photography is that pets don’t pose. That is the best part, in fact! When you want them to sit and pose, they will chase butterflies and squirrels, and when you want them to run, they will lie down asking for belly rubs. And in these moments they do something unexpected and give you a beautiful moment for an expert to be able to capture.
A dog photographer understands your dog
Dog photographers are not just technically good in photography but are quite patient and also understand the psychology of your dog. They invest time and effort in getting to know a bit about your pet to be able to capture personalities better. They also go the distance to get to know your dog which in turn makes your dog feel comfortable around them. Your dog feels safe around them and is in his natural demeanour. The pet photographers understand subtle hints that your dog gives, anticipate what is coming next, and are quick on their feet to capture that fleeting moment of your dog.
Create pictures worthy to go on your wall
Let’s agree that while we have multitude of pictures in our smartphones, but none of them are artistically nice and technically correct to be printed and hung on wall. A wall art or print poster of a professionally taken image by a pet photographer will add so much beauty to your wall and bring a small smile to your face and make you reminisce that moment with your beloved every time you look at it.
A pet photographer is an artist
More than just taking a picture through camera by pressing the shutter button, a pet photographer brings multiple elements together to make that one picture memorable for you. He creates a concept and then works on minute details like location, time of the shoot, accessories, and styling of the shot to bring it all together for you.
Pet photographers capture most ‘tricky to be captured’ moments
Imagine if your dog was a water baby or loved playing in mud puddle. But do you have any good pictures of your dog doing things that he loves. Hiring a professional pet photographer will give you access to these amazing pictures, which were otherwise nearly impossible for you to capture.
You get to be in the frame too with your dog
Yes, I agree that smartphones of today are way advanced to let you take pictures of your dog, which can be then easily edited and put on social media. But that deprives you of something very important. You being a part of that picture along with your dog. Hiring a professional gives you a precious chance of getting into the frame with your dog and get those moments captured.
* The author is a self taught professional pet photographer based in Bangalore. He has worked in companies like Amazon and Flipkart for almost a decade before listening to his calling to finally chase the pets, cuddle them, adore them and click them. His love for pets and passion for photography gave birth to ‘Stills by Rohit’. He likes to capture real emotions and create stories of pets and their families, which one can look back on and smile. He also works with various Animal shelters in Bangalore on adoption or fundraising initiatives through his photography skills.
Website – www.stillsbyrohit.com
Instagram – www.instagram.com/stillsbyrohit
