FAQ's
Your pets are your family and you’re looking for a fun way to remember how much they mean to you. There are literally hundreds of photographers to choose from and you are overwhelmed. In our no obligation discovery introduction we can discuss your ideas and concerns. If done in person, it is also a perfect time to get acquainted with your fur family. Your decision to book will mean you value the expertise of a certified Professional Photographer, devoted to the niche of photographing animals.
Absolutely! Candid images by far are the best for capturing true-to-life expressions. I also have some tricks up my sleeves to give the impression that all the animals photographed are perfect little angels. Off-leash is never a necessity and your pets safety is always my primary concern.
If you have a location that means the world to you, or an idea of the type of photographs you’d like captured, then by all means, please do let me know. If however you have no idea, that is perfectly ok too. I will make suggestions based on your session questionnaire, which helps me know a little bit more about ‘who’ it is I’m photographing. Especially with cats, most often the home environment is all we have to work with. Maybe there’s a favourite bed or toy we can incorporate?
Contrary to popular belief, we do not need a sunny day for great photographs. Photographing in midday full sun is actually not ideal. Photographing in a torrential downpour, also not ideal. Blizzard or extreme cold… well that’s not ideal if I can’t feel my fingers. Whatever we are faced with, if we need to reschedule, we will. Keep in mind, a bit of rain makes for rich glistening colours, and opens up the potential of capturing an amazing rainbow as a backdrop. Sometimes out-of-the-ordinary, can be extraordinary.
Helpers are great and a small intimate audience is ok too, as long as it does not interfere with the session. This is your time and we want to avoid excessive distractions for pet. We will not be able to capture intimate expressions if your dog is confused at who to look at, or is distracted by children playing, yelling, etc. Only the people/pets on the booking will be photographed. If there are add-ons, they need to be discussed at least 24hours before the session and added to the contract agreement.
A session fee includes up to 3 pets from the same household. Additional pets are welcome but we will need to allot more time so we can ensure we capture images of all pets involved. Each additional pet is an additional $50 (special rate for litters of puppies/kittens). If pet parents want to partner up and combine sessions, we can schedule 2 sessions back to back. Mini-sessions can be set up for multiple owners and pets. Just keep in mind, more pets = less photos/pet. Full sessions ensure a variety of images to choose from.
Yes, if a payment plan is desired on products we can set something up that works for you. In general, we would divide a payment into 3 separate installments, and products would be delivered with the final payment. The session fee is paid in advance to secure a session date and also comes with a $100 art credit (towards wall art or album).
Being an animal lover, even if I tried to say no I wouldn’t be able to. So no, my services are not only limited to cats and dogs. My specialty is cats because I have lived with them all my life, volunteered at a shelter, and understand them the most. I have lived with dogs for the past 20+ years and resonate well with them as well. Fish, hamsters, bunnies, lizards, snakes, frogs, crustaceans… I’ve had them all. Needless to say, I love animals and would love the opportunity to photograph a unique variety. I will even waive the session fee for a pet I have yet to add to my portfolio.
If there is a specific date in mind, especially on a weekend, I suggest booking as early as possible. Openings do come up and upon booking I will send available options to choose from. As a general rule, to catch the best light the time of the booking will usually be about 3 hours before sunset for outdoor session. Indoors will be midday when we have the best window light available.
Unlike my early days in photography with film and darkrooms, digital photography allows us to do so much to enhance photos. If there is a temporary mark on your pet that appears before our shoot, there is no need to re-schedule. I can simply edit out the blemish. If however there is a mark on your pet that has become a part of his/her appearance, I will not remove their unique characteristic without your request.
I absolutely love action shots! This is a perfect opportunity to burn off some steam. Sitting is boring and I encourage them to play and be silly. For more refined sit/stay images, believe it or not a lot of photographs are taken with dogs on leash. The leash is simply removed in the editing process. If you or your pet is not comfortable off leash, do not remove it. The best option would be to use thin lead which makes editing it out easier.
I have met a lot of cat’s in my lifetime and I know no two are alike. So what happens when one is really shy? Well, I am extremely patient. It may take a few visits of introductions to get them used to the idea, or a longer session in the same day to ease them back into feeling safe again so they can be photographed. I will use a longer lens as well so I can stay a good distance away and not invade their personal ‘cat’ space. Either way, we will work with your shy kitty to keep them comfortable and content.
Indoors can be tricky, mainly because of the distracting elements, limited space, and low-light conditions. However, what you see in the final image will be different than what you see with your eyes. With a camera, photographers can isolate the scene and remove remaining unwanted objects in the editing process. As an additional option, a backdrop may be used for kitties who are open to it.
Not at all. However, distances over 50km from my studio in Transcona (East Winnipeg) will incur a charge of $10 for each additional 10km, up to a total of 100km. Distances longer than this, please contact for quote. Travel fee may be waived for large events involving 50+ attendees. Please ask for details.
Yes, as long as the pet will not be a distraction and is not an ‘add-on’ to be photographed without prior notice. I would be more than happy to photograph multiple pets from different owners as long as they are registered for the shoot prior to the session. When preparing for our day, a lot of thought goes into how it will all fit together. ‘Throwing in’ another element at last minute will disrupt my OCD thought process. It can be done but I just need a little warning to restructure my thoughts, and new questions will need to be asked.
I specialize in animal photography and cannot promise the same type of devotion to family portraits. I would feel better leaving that type of photography to the family portrait specialists. This does not mean I will not welcome you and your family to be in some of the photographs with your pet. The animal-human bond is extremely important and my imagery will be more candid than posed. I can recommend the best certified portrait photographers I know to help capture more traditional setups if desired.
Yes of course! It is very much encouraged. You do not however have to be featured if you do not want to. Not all of us enjoy seeing ourselves in photographs, but still want to be remembered with our pets. For these, I can include you in the photograph but keep your presence subtle (ie. blurred in the background; dog at your feet, etc.). Please note, throughout the session I will act as a bit of a paparazzi taking candid photographs you won’t even know existed until our session reveal. This is the best part where you get to see all the wonderful photos we just captured.
Yes. Gift certificates are available and will be customized to the recipient. Gift certificates can be purchased in any denomination, or can be gifted as an item (ie. session fee, product credit). Donation packages are also available upon request.
That hurts me to even think about. If you are anything like me, I know how hard it can be to voice your displeasure with a service or product. My goal is that my clients are always 110% satisfied, and will recommend me to their friends. If you are not happy, I am not happy. It’s that simple. My personal guarantee is your total satisfaction.
Event photography and session photography are a little bit different. With Event photography, approximately one week after the event date, I will contact the organizer and share the online ordering link with all the photos available for purchase. These photos will be available online for a period of one month and then archived. For full sessions, included with your session fee is an in person session reveal where we will go through all your images. I will help you pick your favourites and choose how you’d like to display them. This is a full service deal, right down to hanging the artwork on the wall if you’d like help.