When should you schedule your pet photography session?

There are a lot of things to consider when scheduling a pet photography session. Where the session will take place, who will be in the photos, what would you like to do with the images from the session and when to have the session. In this blog, I’ll share some tips to help you decide when is the best time for your session.

While there are four seasons in a year, Florida is known for only having two – summer and winter. There are advantages to photographing in each, but because I do on-location photo sessions, generally, winter is the better time of the year. The humidity is lower, it rains less frequently and the temperatures are much cooler which the dogs prefer. The downside is that you don’t get those big fluffy clouds that build during the summer afternoons and the sunsets tend to be less spectacular.

My first concern is always the safety of your pets. With temperatures hovering around 95 degrees, summer afternoons tend to be much too hot for the dogs. However, from time to time there are breaks in the weather when the mornings and late evenings are cooler. These are wonderful opportunities to take advantage of. It does mean watching the weather carefully and getting up very early in the morning, but sunrises and sunsets over the beach can be very rewarding.

While the winter is officially December through March, in Florida, the cooler days take place from September through early May. This is the time of the year I recommend planning your photo session. Even though the fall landscape is not as spectacular as it is in the northeast, there is still subtle changes in the scenery which makes a beautiful backdrop for portraits.

The second thing to consider when scheduling your photo session is the time of the day. I prefer to schedule sessions early in the morning as the sun rises and late in the evening as the sun sets. Because the sun is low in the sky, the lighting is soft, diffused and creates a golden glow which I love. Overcast days are also great time for photographing. With the sun behind the clouds, the sunlight is not bright and harsh, creating deep shadows and making you and your pups squint.

Depending on the location I may recommend a time of day for your session. While early morning sessions mean having to get up very early, often there are fewer people and dogs out, leading to possibly having the place to ourselves. Everyone loves a great sunset, but that also means crowds as folks congregate to celebrate the end of another day in paradise.

I hope you find these tips helpful. If you’re ready to start planning your session, get in touch!