“Good behaviour” is a social construct. Dogs behave… like dogs. I photograph dogs being dogs, regardless of their behaviour. Yes, some dogs can certainly make a photographer’s job more challenging, but I have boundless patience, and we can always extend the time of the session if needed. 

It can also help to evaluate your expectations for your dog. If your dog won’t sit and stay, even for yummy treats, then a posed portrait session might not be the best fit. Instead, we can focus on capturing fun action shots of your pup at play. I specialize in candid portraits, so even if your dog never stops moving, I can often capture those ephemeral moments of contemplation in the microseconds between movements. 

There are a couple different options for leash-only dogs. Most portrait pet photographers photograph dogs on leash and then photoshop out the leash afterwards. This is certainly one option, although I do charge an extra $25 per leash removal edit. Another option is to find a safe enclosed space like a large backyard where we can let the dog off to be themselves. 

Example: Nova was still a puppy and wasn't yet ready for off-leash adventures. The only suitable enclosed space nearby was an old tennis court, so I had to get creative, but I made it work! Check out the final photos here. and Check out the location here.

That is a pretty common problem for much of the year around here and unfortunately my camera equipment can’t handle too much moisture. For this reason, I don’t book photo shoots more than a week in advance. I watch the forecast like a hawk and try to schedule shoots around the weather. Even so, forecasts are often wrong, so we will simply reschedule for the next dry day that fits your schedule. 

It would be unlikely. Extreme weather can make for some of the best shots! Even a plague of locusts could make for some great photos! But seriously, there may be some exceptions I haven’t thought of (I’ve never seen golf ball sized hail in these parts, but you never know with climate change!), but in general, be prepared to go out in any conditions and dress appropriately for the weather. If your dog loves the snow, we can make a special effort to schedule the shoot on snow days, or even travel to higher elevations to find snow on low snow years. Likewise, if we are doing a winter shoot and your dog hates snow or cold weather, please let me know in advance and we will schedule the shoot accordingly. 

Please give me 48hrs notice so that your time slot may be opened up to someone else and we can reschedule your session. There is a $50 deposit to hold your time slot, which is non-refundable with less than 48hrs notice. 

Yes! Please let me know in advance if you’d like to be photographed with your pet. I am happy to capture authentic, candid moments between you and your fur baby. However, I do not specialize in overly-posed portraits with your pet. If you are looking for human portraits with your pet as an accessory, I suggest finding a photographer who specializes in this style. There are a lot of photographers who do beautiful work in this genre, it is simply not the style I work in. I also do not offer glamour re-touching of human skin, hair, make-up, or clothing. My work focuses on your pet and the special bond you have with them. 

Check out some People & Pets pics here. 

Whistler: $45. Greater Vancouver: $60. Other destinations will depend on distance and cost of travel, please contact to discuss logistics. 

Editing a photo, or post-processing, can refer to many different techniques and basic workflow will vary from photographer to photographer. In my practice I adhere to "faithful editing rules" to maintain an authentic representation of a scene. While I strive to get everything perfect in camera, the realities of natural light and unpredictable weather mean that the photographer only has limited control of lighting outside of the studio.

Sometimes this means that light falls outside of the dynamic range of the camera, so that classic dodging and burning (techniques that originated in the darkroom when developing film) is used to reduce highlights and bring back detail in the shadows so that the maximum detail is revealed in an image and to help to direct the viewer's eye to the essential elements in the scene. 

Other post-processing techniques may involve meticulously removing dust and scratches, or other distracting elements in a photo. It may mean straightening a slightly crooked horizon line or removing noise when there was no choice but to crank up the ISO because of insufficient light. Or if a dog cannot be off-leash, it may even involve photoshopping out the leash entirely.

Basic culling is also a critical, and time-consuming, part of post-processing. It can be a painstaking process to go through hundreds of frames to choose the best. Sometimes the differences can be subtle, but a small change in an animal's expression or body language can make the difference between an good image and one that stops you in your tracks.