How to Prepare Your Dog for an Outdoor Photoshoot

Dogs are family, and for a growing number of my clients that means they are not an optional extra in a photoshoot but a central part of it — sometimes the whole point of the session, sometimes a guest of honour walking a couple down the aisle. Outdoor sessions with dogs are some of my favourite work precisely because they cannot be over-controlled. A dog will not perform on command the way an adult can, and that unpredictability is exactly what produces the honest, funny, tender images people end up loving most. But a little preparation in the days before the shoot makes an enormous difference to how relaxed everyone is, including the dog, and to how many genuinely usable images come out of the session.

This guide covers what actually helps — from timing and exercise to kit, treats, and what to do if your dog is anxious around strangers or cameras — based on what consistently works across the pet and wedding sessions I photograph.

Exercise Your Dog Beforehand, Not During

The single most useful thing you can do before an outdoor shoot is tire your dog out properly beforehand, not try to calm them down once we are on location. A dog who has had a long walk, a proper run, or a good play session an hour or two before the shoot arrives with the edge taken off their energy. They are still alert and engaged — which is what you want for good expressions and eye contact — but they are not bouncing off every passing scent, dog, or squirrel with the frantic energy of an animal who has been cooped up all morning.

Timing this correctly matters. Too close to the shoot and your dog may be panting heavily with their tongue lolling out for the first fifteen minutes, which is fine for a few relaxed, playful shots but not ideal if you want calmer, more composed portraits early on. Too far in advance and the tiredness wears off and you are back to full energy by the time we start. As a general rule, a decent walk or play session ending around an hour before the shoot works well for most dogs, giving them time to settle and get their breath back while keeping enough calm energy that they are not overtired and reluctant to engage.

Choose a Location Your Dog Already Knows and Trusts

For portrait and pet sessions, I generally recommend shooting somewhere your dog is already familiar with rather than somewhere entirely new. A dog exploring an unfamiliar park for the first time will spend much of the session investigating smells, watching for other dogs warily, and generally being distracted by novelty rather than settled and present. A location they already associate with good experiences — a regular walking route, a favourite field, a beach they visit often — means they arrive already comfortable, and that comfort reads clearly in the resulting images.

For wedding-day sessions this is less within your control, since the dog usually needs to be at the venue itself. In that case, arranging a brief visit to the grounds a day or two beforehand if at all possible, even just a short walk around the gardens, can take the edge off the unfamiliarity. If a pre-visit is not practical, building in extra settling time on the day — letting your dog sniff around the immediate area for five or ten minutes before we start shooting properly — achieves something similar. I build this settling time into the schedule as standard when a dog is involved in a wedding day, because rushing straight into posed shots with an unsettled dog rarely produces the images anyone wants.

Grooming: What Actually Matters and What Does Not

A bath and brush in the day or two before the shoot is genuinely worth doing, particularly for longer-coated breeds where a clean, brushed coat photographs with far more definition and shine than a matted or grubby one. Trimming nails and tidying any obviously overgrown fur around the eyes and paws also helps, since these small details are surprisingly visible in close-up shots.

That said, do not over-groom to the point of stress. A trip to a professional groomer the morning of the shoot, for a dog unused to grooming, can leave them anxious, fidgety, or simply exhausted from the ordeal, which undoes any cosmetic benefit. If your dog finds grooming stressful, do it a few days ahead rather than immediately before, so they have time to settle back into themselves. For working or scruffy breeds where a slightly wild, lived-in look is part of their character — think spaniels fresh from a hedge, or terriers with permanently untidy eyebrows — leaning into that natural texture usually photographs better than a stiff, freshly-clipped appearance that does not look like the dog anyone actually lives with.

Bring the Right Treats and Toys, and Bring Plenty

Food is the single most reliable tool for getting a dog to look toward the camera, hold a position, or simply engage rather than wander off. Bring your dog's genuine favourite treats — not just their everyday kibble, but something high-value they do not get every day, cut or broken into small pieces so you can reward frequently without filling them up in the first ten minutes. Squeaky toys, a favourite ball, or a particular noise your dog associates with excitement are equally useful for getting ears up and eyes bright at the exact moment I need them.

Bring more than you think you will need. Outdoor sessions run for anywhere from twenty minutes to over an hour depending on the type of shoot, and a dog who has run out of incentive by the halfway point becomes noticeably harder to direct. I will also often ask you, rather than me, to hold the treats and call your dog, since dogs respond far more reliably to a familiar voice and hand than to a stranger with a camera, however friendly that stranger is being.

Timing the Shoot Around Light and Your Dog's Temperament

Early morning and early evening remain the best times for outdoor photography generally, since the lower sun produces softer, warmer light without the harsh overhead shadows of midday. For dogs there is a second reason to favour these times: fewer other dogs and people around, particularly in popular parks, which means fewer distractions and less anxiety for dogs who are reactive or simply easily excited by other animals. A quiet 8am session in a favourite field is almost always calmer and more productive than the same location at 1pm on a Saturday.

Consider your dog's actual temperament honestly when agreeing a time and setting. A nervous or noise-sensitive dog will do far better in a quiet, controlled environment even if the light is slightly less flattering, than in a beautiful but busy location where they spend the whole session on high alert. A confident, sociable dog, on the other hand, may genuinely enjoy a livelier spot with more going on, since some of the best natural expressions come from watching something interesting happen nearby.

What to Discuss With Your Photographer Beforehand

A short conversation before the day makes a real difference to how the session goes. Tell your photographer honestly about your dog's temperament — whether they are reactive to other dogs, nervous of strangers, prone to bolting if off the lead, or completely unbothered by anything. None of these are a problem in themselves, but they change how the session should be planned. A dog who cannot be off the lead safely simply means working with longer leads that can be edited out, or using a lead in a way that becomes part of the image rather than something to hide.

It is also worth discussing whether your dog will be included throughout a longer session, such as a wedding day, or just for a specific portion of it. Many couples I work with for wedding photography choose to have their dog present for the ceremony and a set of portraits afterwards, then have a trusted friend or family member take the dog home before the reception, when a long day of noise, unfamiliar guests, and excitement can become genuinely stressful for even a well-socialised animal. Building this handover into the day's schedule in advance, with a specific named person responsible for it, avoids the last-minute scramble of nobody quite knowing whose job it is.

Managing Nerves and Reactivity Honestly

If your dog is anxious, reactive, or simply not keen on strangers approaching with equipment, say so clearly beforehand rather than hoping it will be fine on the day. A good photographer will adjust their approach entirely for this — working from further away with a longer lens, moving slowly and predictably, avoiding direct eye contact with the dog at first, and letting you do all the direct handling and cueing rather than trying to interact with the dog directly. Some of the calmest, most natural images I have taken have been of dogs who were initially nervous, simply because we gave them time and space rather than pushing for engagement too soon.

There is no shame in a session that includes more candid, at-a-distance shots and fewer close, direct-to-camera portraits if that is what suits your dog's comfort level. Forcing a nervous dog into close proximity with a camera and an unfamiliar person for the sake of a particular shot rarely ends well, and it shows in the final images even when it technically works, in a tension around the eyes and ears that undermines the whole point of the photograph.

What to Pack on the Day

A practical kit list makes the morning of the shoot considerably less stressful. Bring a lead and a spare, in case one breaks or gets muddy and needs swapping out mid-session for a clean one that will not show in close-up shots. Bring water and a travel bowl, particularly for warmer days or longer sessions. Bring poo bags, always, and bring a towel if there is any chance of mud, puddles, or a swim being involved.

If your dog wears a collar for the session, consider whether a plainer, more neutral collar photographs better than a brightly coloured or heavily branded one, which can date an image or distract from the dog's face. This is a small detail and not something to worry about excessively, but it is worth a moment's thought if you have the choice. Finally, pack your own patience. The best dog photography sessions are unhurried, and a relaxed handler produces a relaxed dog far more reliably than a stressed one repeating commands with mounting frustration.

Dogs bring a genuine, unscripted warmth to outdoor photography that is very hard to replicate with people alone, and a little preparation goes a long way toward capturing that warmth well rather than fighting against a stressed or overstimulated animal. If you are planning an outdoor session with your dog, whether as a dedicated portrait shoot or as part of your wedding day, I would love to help you plan it. Get in touch through the contact page at Yana Skakun Photography and we can talk through timing, location, and anything specific to your dog that will help the day go smoothly.