Family photography with your dogs? Yes please!

Can pets be in our family photos? Should we bring our family dog to the photography session? It’s a solid yes from me! Your pets are part of the family, so I’m up for making them part of the shoot. I’m not saying it’s going to be straightforward, but that’s half the fun.

If we can pull off this family session, then anything is possible! Firstly, Aga and Andy are brilliant photographers themselves, so I had some serious expectations to meet. Secondly, their family includes not one, not two, but three dogs. If you know dogs, then you’ll appreciate that two of them being spaniels added an extra level of challenge. Although, if you know Aga, you’ll also appreciate that these are probably the best behaved and most beautifully presented dogs on the planet. Still, three dogs…

Photo of a family sitting on a hammock in a garden with three dogs

We grabbed a sunny day when it came along, and timed the shoot for that gorgeous evening light. After some photos in their show stopping house and garden, we took the dogs for a walk nearby. It happened to be Aga’s birthday, so we made the most of this and had cake in the middle of the shoot. Naturally the dogs loved this part too, especially the puppy, who got to lick icing off faces. Dogs get special treats when they take part in photo sessions!

So my answer is yes, definitely include your dogs in your photography session. We may have done a lot of running around chasing dogs, but the effort was 100% worth it. I am absolutely delighted with how the images turned out. Trying to organise the dogs resulted in a lot of laughing, which is always a good thing. Focusing on the dogs meant everyone relaxed and forgot about being photographed! And the end result is a series of family images with everyone in, dogs included. Because your pets really are part of your family, and I always love to capture that.

A man, woman and teenage girl snuggling together with a puppy with trees and setting sun behind them
A family sitting with their dogs on a grey sofa inside a beautiful house
A teenage girl laughing with two dogs in a garden
A family relaxing with their dogs, sitting on grass and a hammock in a beautiful garden
A family photo with two adults and a teenage girl, and three dogs
Portrait of a mother and teenage daughter, cuddling in a garden
A woman laughing with a candle in a cake, with a man and dog watching and teenage girl, all standing in a beautiful kitchen together.
Photo of a family with three dogs in a garden together
Teenage girl cuddling and kissing a spaniel puppy
A teenage girl standing in a kitchen holding a spaniel puppy. The spaniel is licking the nose of a woman and a man is watching and smiling.
A family with a man, woman and teenage girl, sitting in a garden together with three dogs. The people are al laughing.
A family walking together through a field of long grass with their dogs.
A man cuddling a small dog, laughing together with a woman and teenage daughter.
A family smiling and cuddling together in evening sunlight in a woody environment.
A couple cuddling with a small spaniel puppy in a field at sunset.
A laughing family sitting together in long grass with three dogs.
A family walking together in a field with long grass, with a puppy carried in the woman's arms and two dogs walking on leads.
A mother and teenage daughter sitting by a fire pit and cuddling together with dogs.
A mother and teenage daughter sitting by a fire pit and laughing together with dogs.

Check out more of Aga’s incredible self built house and garden on instagram here – I promise you’ll be impressed!

Family photography (with or without dogs!)

I’d love to chat to you about your own family photography, whether you have dogs, cats, or any other pets that you’d like to include! Read more here about how I work and how to book a session. Or just get in touch for a chat, I’d love to hear from you!

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