Safety Tips for Pet Photography

Video Transcript

"It's really important when you're setting up a photo session with a dog to talk to the owner about the pets needs. Some animals may not do well with flashing strobe lights. They could be animals that get nervous rather easily, or scared, take a long time to settle down or maybe they have certain health requirements. So even though a hot dog might really get their attention their owner may not want them eating things like hotdogs and cheese or maybe they have certain dietary restrictions. So, it's important to ask these kinds of questions when you're talking to the owner. Also, you also need to take into consideration that some animals may not feel safe and then, may actually get themselves into trouble, in certain, you know in certain places. You may want to ask the owner if the animal has a tendency to try to escape, especially if you're shooting with animals that are smaller, like cats, or hamsters or a snake. And even with a dog, some dogs can move pretty quickly and easily get away from the area that you are shooting in. So make sure you discuss all these concerns with the owner before you set up your shoot. (Laugh) Another thing to discuss with the owner is, are they afraid of loud noises? Now, there may not be any planned loud noises going on in your studio, but it's just something that you should know. And also, is there any concern over the pet?s safety? Are you doing any shots where maybe the animal is up on the table, or maybe they have arthritis, or some other injury that you need to be concerned with. So just make sure you have these conversations with the client before you set all these shots up with the pet. "Good girl"."