Does your dog insist on living life in the buff? Are they an exhibitionist? Do they want to do nothing other than flaunt what their momma gave them? Nothin’ but nude all day? A life totally “au naturel” or as the French would say all “ooo la la?”

What to do when one of your favorite pet photographers (eh hem, moi!) specializes in personifying your pets in the perfect outfit?

The only solution: find another photographer!!!

JUST. KIDDING! Super kidding.

I totally get it. Have you ever worn a scratchy wool scarf? Heels? Spanx? Not comfortable.

When I was a kid I loved my mom’s soft curls. Until, she offered to curl my hair via the most torturous device known to man: metal curlers with spiky brush bristles to keep them fixed in place with pink plastic sticks of death….that you had TO SLEEP IN.

Yeah. Don’t care how pretty. Not. Worth. It.

No clothes or props on dogs should EVER feel like that.

And what’s the #1 rule at Apawture Studios? MAX COMFORT!

All pets should be at max comfort as much as possible (given this may be a strange situation, we’ll always work at their pace). Not only does an uncomfortable pet make for ugly pictures, but it’s just not fun nor fair to them!

So I get it when a vest is cute, but is way scratchy or too restrictive for a fluffy pup. I know having booties on can make legs forget how to walk right. And glasses on your face make you feel like you can’t see the treats being launched at your face.

What can we do when your pet prefers to be “au naturel”? As their mamma made em? Buck naked?

We go with it. And get creative. There are lots of ways to pop that big pet personality into the foreground of the photographs. And that’s why you hire a professional like myself.

Lights!

If you like my edgy, rock style, I’ll design a custom look with lights. I can push contrasting or harmonizing colors, back-lit silhouettes, or even go high-contrast black and white fine art style.

Colors play a big part in probably all types of art I’ve ever seen. Even if it’s a lack of color.  That being said I’ll always ask during the consultation call, if you have any ideas of where you envision hanging this artwork and what color scheme that room is in.

From there, I’ll propose some color options that will be in line with your bestie’s personality while blending naturally with the colors of the space.

Let’s say your dog is high-energy, we can add a pop of a bright, warm color. If they’re a bit more “no frill, max chill” then I can work in some cool tones either in the shadows of a neutral composition or in a big splash of color.

My bag of tricks runs deep.

Let that back….DROP!

Another easy way to really push the vibe of the photos is via the background.

We got patterns, we got graphics, we got fabrics and textures all available to create a masterpiece. The sky is the limit and it’s possible to change everything in post-production.

Photoshop – oh my!

At the end of the day, thanks to the miracle of Photoshop, props can be added in easily.

Cute hat? Yep. Sweet shades? Of course! Flower crowns? Why not add two!!

Technical note here: the only thing that would be pretty complicated and I won’t promise to be able to ‘shop in, despite my master skills, is clothing like shirts, etc. Unless I have a body double that doesn’t mind being touched, it would be damn near impossible to match the shape, natural folds in fabric and interaction with fur. But that’s all stuff I’ll talk you through in our consultation call.

What do all of the above have in common? They can all be done without even touching your dog.

So even if your dog isn’t super into high-fashion, or even a touch of low-fashion, it’s totally cool. I got you!