How it all works
I am Adrian Baughan of Oxford Dog Photography - a professional, pet exclusive photographer specialising in fine art portrait, and action photography in natural outdoor locations and using natural light. This is a detailed explanation of the whole pet photography experience.
Booking your session
Decide or have an idea of your final goals for Artwork, prints and products.
Once you decided to book a session based on your final goals for Artwork, we will discuss your preferred date. I am available and usually very flexible for mid-week sessions but also shoot at weekends with more limited availability due to my schedule. Just let me know what you need and we will work something out.
I will send you a booking form to get the preliminary information.
Timing - On sunny bright days it’s important to shoot late afternoon evening to catch the best soft and warm light in the 2-3 hours before sunset – it’s
often important to also select a location where some shade can be found. I can also do early morning sessions if preferred.
If it’s a cloudy, overcast day I can shoot almost any time and would tend to start mid-afternoon or lunchtime (depending on the season) instead.
At this stage I will send you an invoice for the session or gift certificate, which is payable in advance to book the slot. It can be paid by your preferred
method: Bank transfer, online, or cash / cheque.
Consider your goals and select a perfect location
We will have a preliminary discussion on the location, your dog and any specific printed product goals for the images.
I would like to know your dog’s appearance, colour, size etc. and personality (outgoing or shy) to best match a location and style of shooting.
Generally owners choose one of my favoured locations I can suggest for your dog, where I can guarantee consistency, but I am always happy to
discuss any location of your choice.
I can shoot in all weather conditions but will try to avoid heavy precipitation as it’s just miserable for us, my equipment and a whole set of soggy dog
shots is not usually desirable. I will advise soon before the session and give the option to reschedule in this instance. I remain as flexible as possible.
Think about and indicate your final choice(s) of printed products for the images and any special requirement or shot you wish to achieve. In particular,
there are some technical considerations for equipment settings and light for larger wall art prints, but much less so for albums or desktop sized prints.
I always take a wide range of poses and angles in each situation including:
- Portrait – Choreographed head shots, quarter and full body shots, taking in interesting backgrounds and landscapes
- Art in Action – Choreographed fine art running shots and candid action shots
- Blind shooting with a wide angle lens from a very low perspective on the ground. Both action and portrait.
- Sausage shots – So called shooting down vertically on the dog using sausage (or whatever your dog likes) to get alert happy expressions.
- Detail – Feet, tails, eyes and features from close range
I will select and skilfully hand edit 25+ of the best images to choose for your Artwork
Any choices for purchased final print will have leads, imperfections (such as mucky eyes) and distractions edited out before print.
Images will be revealed at your consultation and ordering session or posted in a private online gallery.
Photo session preparation
A few days before your shoot you should consider if your dog needs any grooming, particularly if fur covers the eyes as that’s the most important
feature in any portrait. At this time we will also consider the weather forecast in case rescheduling should be necessary. Get ready and bring some
absolute favourite toys. I always bring balls and noise makers and treats myself, but that one thing your dog will do anything for will be invaluable.
Very energetic dogs may require tiring out a bit beforehand so they are more relaxed and focussed, so if they need a walk earlier in the day please
do that and we may concentrate on action and fun to start with in the session.
If your dog is shy we will spend some time to get comfortable with me and the cameras. We usually start from my house with introductions and then I can lead you to the local location by foot or by car.
Enjoy your session with your canine family
My aim is for this always to be a happy, pleasurable and interesting experience for both dog and owners.
We will start with a quiet preliminary discussion and greeting at my house or other agreed venue in order to settle your dog and confirm your goals.
we can also look at artwork products with the session in mind.
We then travel to the location, most of which are local.
Please relax and enjoy the session at your pace and your dog will also be more relaxed. I often (not always) get owners involved to help with getting attention
out of your devoted canine, but I also have plenty of tricks up my sleeve for working with untrained dogs, so don’t worry about that.
For specific portraits I may tether your dog in a good setting and light and then get their attention myself or use you to get them to glance in another
direction. I will remove the tether or lead from any purchased prints.
Consultation and ordering session
After your session I will carefully select and hand-edit your session photos. It takes a minimum of a full day to do this, so your full gallery will be ready for me to reveal or for you to view approximately 2-3 weeks after the session.
I offer a free consultation either at my home where we can view images on calibrated screens and discuss in detail and also look at the full range of products, or if that is not convenient I will visit you and bring some samples or do an online consultation via Zoom.
I offer a standard range of products but of course I will consider sourcing anything else you would like and can advise.
There are many options for wall art display and I use professional labs for all products so can get custom sizes or you may wish for some type of collage.
After the consultation I will then send you an invoice and your products will be available for collection, posting or hand delivery 4-8 weeks later.
Enjoy your Dog imortalised in print
You will have prints and products to enjoy for a lifetime, but you can always come back for something else as I will keep your images safely on file
for 2 years.
Oxford Dog Photography, 5 Woodlands, Freeland, Witney, Oxon UK
Phone: 01993 881315
