It Is Not Just a 2 Hour Photoshoot

It Is Not Just a 2 Hour Photoshoot

A lot of people look at a pet photography session and think, fairly enough, “It is just a couple of hours with a camera.”

I get it. If you have never worked in a service-based business, it is hard to see what you are paying for beyond the time we are actually together.

But the truth is this.

The shoot is only a small part of the job.

The Part You See

You see me turning up with a camera, making weird noises, throwing treats, lying on the ground and doing everything I can to get your dog to look adorable for a split second.

You see a fun, relaxed session. Your dog having a sniff, a run, a sit, maybe a bit of chaos. Me moving around, changing angles, adjusting light, chatting with you.

From the outside, it can look like I am just wandering around taking photos.

That is kind of the point.

If it looks easy, it means I am doing my job well.

The Part You Do Not See

What most people never see is everything wrapped around that session.

Before we even meet

There is planning. Emails. Booking systems. Questionnaires. Figuring out locations or setting up the studio.

There is charging batteries, cleaning lenses, packing thousands of dollars worth of gear and making sure I have backups of the backups.

There are also years of experience working with dogs of all temperaments, sizes and energy levels. That is why I can safely handle the nervous ones, the overexcited ones, and the ones who would rather be literally anywhere else.

After you go home

This is where the real time adds up.

I go through hundreds of images from your session. Not just deleting the blurry ones, but carefully choosing the photos with the best expressions, ears, tails, eye contact and moments.

Then each selected image is professionally edited. Colour, light, distractions removed, little tweaks that most people would never notice but would definitely feel if they were missing.

Your images are uploaded, organised, backed up and delivered through professional systems that keep everything safe and high quality.

Then There Is the Business Side

This is the unsexy part that no one talks about.

Insurance. Camera gear. Lenses. Lighting. Computers that can actually handle editing. Software subscriptions. Website. Gallery systems. Education, so I keep improving instead of getting stale.

Tax. GST. Accounting.

You are not just paying for a person with a camera. You are paying for a fully set-up, legal, insured, professional business that exists to do this properly.

Why It Is Not Priced Like an Hourly Job

Most people are used to being paid by the hour. So it makes sense that your brain might go, “Two hours… that should cost about what I earn in two hours.”

But creative services do not work like that.

You are not paying for the time I stand in front of you.

You are paying for the years it took to learn how to work with animals, understand light, use professional gear, and turn split-second moments into images you will love for the rest of your dog’s life.

You are paying for the result. The experience. The expertise. The finished artwork.

And Honestly, It Is Not for Everyone

Professional pet photography is not a necessity. It is not like groceries or petrol.

It is something people choose because they absolutely adore their animals and want to celebrate them properly.

If you just want a quick snap for social media, your phone is perfect, and I mean that genuinely.

But if you want beautiful, thoughtfully created images that show your dog’s personality and become part of your home and your memories, that is where I come in.

Why People Do It Anyway

Because our pets do not stay with us forever.

One day, the muddy paws, the grey whiskers, the wonky ears, and the way they look at you will just be photos and memories.

Having proper images of them is something people rarely regret doing.

Way more often, they wish they had done it sooner.

If that is how you feel about your dog, then yes, a professional photoshoot is worth it.

And I would love to create that for you.