Must Love Dogs– Tips for Shooting Marketing Photos with Dogs

In the popular rom com, Must Love Dogs, Diane Lane’s meddling family incessantly tries to set her up on dates after her divorce. The character eventually leans into their efforts and creates several dating profiles with “must love dogs” as a caveat to sparking a connection, and well…the sentiment is hard hitting. People LOVE dogs. 

Dogs are four-pawed gifts to the universe, exhibiting all the wholesome and good qualities we tend to seek in other humans– loyalty, compassion, and a natural affinity for the art of companionship. Their undeniable magnetism also makes them ideal additions to advertising campaigns. Incorporate a dog into your visuals and messaging and you’ve got an instant “in” with a good portion of the population. To put it simply, dogs are cute and people respond to them.

Drawing from this concept, our Maycreate team has had the opportunity to bring dogs into several client projects and photoshoots over the last few months. Although the results can be incredible and the efforts effective, the process can sometimes prove more difficult than you might expect. That said, we’ve learned a few things along the way about how to capture great photos of dogs for marketing campaigns, and we’d love to share some of those tips and tricks with you.

Tip 1: Time and patience are key.

When you’re shooting with dogs, it can take a little more time to get the shot than it does when you’re working with products you can simply style or people who can understand the full gamut of verbal directions. Going into a shoot with this expectation can be helpful.

New spring collection shoot for Yacoubian Tailors with shop dog, Anoush.

Yacoubian Tailors shoot with Erin May and her pup, Dixie.

Tip 2: Get to know the dog.

Dogs have personalities just like humans do, so when you’re going to be working with a dog on set, it’s a good idea to pad in a little time to get to know each other before shooting. Build some trust and rapport with the dog and you’ll likely have better results.

Product imagery for LVP flooring products for Happy Feet International featuring Stella.

Tip 3: Bring treats.

This one’s a no-brainer, but most dogs are highly food motivated creatures. Make sure to bring treats to the shoot to help encourage the dog to do what you need it to in order to capture the photos you’ve envisioned.

From Happy Feet International’s Pinnacle product shoot featuring Twig.

Tip 4: Shoot on burst.

Another tip for shooting photos with dogs is to make use of the camera’s burst feature. Shooting on burst, or continuous shooting, gives you the opportunity to catch micro moments and ensures you have plenty of options when selecting the perfect image for your ad or project. It also means you’re less likely to miss any super cute expressions or movements that can make for more dynamic images. 

Happy Feet International ZeroMark® Stain Resistance video shoot featuring Sparks.

Tip 5: Be flexible.

It’s always prudent to come up with concepts for your photoshoot and put together a shot list to work from, but when you put dogs in the mix, it’s important to stay flexible. If you’re too hung up on having things go a certain way or achieving a specific shot, you might find yourself disappointed or discouraged if things don’t go to plan. When you stay creative and open, you’ll often find that the shots that come together naturally and in the moment are even better than what you initially had in mind. 

Once you’ve captured the perfect dog photos, you can use them in a number of ways to encourage people to engage with your brand. From social posts to print ads, incorporating a dog in your creative can help you effectively capture attention, pull at heartstrings, and create genuine connection. If you’re looking to capture new product or brand imagery with dogs, our team is vastly experienced and would love to assist. Contact one of our account supervisors, John Wagoner or Adam Bledsoe, to get the ball rolling, or give us a call at 423.634.0123.