One of my most asked questions is: “How do you get Bendel to sit so perfectly for photos?” the short answer: I don’t.
I thought of writing this blog post while I was sitting in front of a huge fallen tree for a solid 15 minutes, waiting for her to climb back up it so I could get the perfect shot. Naturally, she did it all by herself before I got the camera out, but when I asked she looked at me like I was crazy. So I sat, and I waited not so patiently – (worth it because I got the shot.)
Taking photos of Bendel is not some magical walk in the park in which she poses exactly where I put her. 99% of the time I start the shoot with a plan and immediately have to throw that plan out the window. For example: On her half birthday photos we took for fun, we had balloons everywhere. On her actually birthday, a mere 6 months later, she decided she was now afraid of balloons and wanted them nowhere near her. The queen had spoken and we no longer had balloons in her photos- besides the one I snuck in and taped up behind her.
I let her make a lot of the “creative” choices on shoots. By that I mean I simply follow her around with the camera like some crazy paparazzi and try and get a good shot. For our posed shoots with products we have to go into more serious mode. I’ve noticed that if I tire her out before things go MUCH better, and that taking photos of her inside is much easier. If it moves it’s distracting, did I mention she’s a bird dog?
Another key to the best photos of her is that I have no shame. Sometimes I have to make crazy noises or jump up and down to get her to look at the camera. I didn’t think it was possible for a dog to have a snobby face, but mine does.
I will say that taking photos of Bendel is not the same as taking them with any dog. I realize this anytime I try and take photos of someone else’s pup and I want to wring my hair out. Bendel trusts me and for the most part knows what to do. Teaching her commands like ‘wait’, ‘up’, and ‘down’ have made all of the difference as well.
At the end of the day my main goal is to make taking photos with Bendel fun. I always bring tons of treats or fun toys and give her tons of praise. I keep the posed photo shoots under 2-3 minutes, and try my hardest not to get frustrated. Who knew running a dog account would be so stressful?
