I really wanted to share more behind the scenes details, so for this blog, you’ll learn more about my process of working with puppies (and/or dogs with little to no training), to see every photograph I delivered to this client, and a behind the scenes video taken from a go-pro on top of my camera!

While I have been friends with Veronica for several years, this was the first time she was experiencing a photoshoot with me. She had just brought home a new Belgian Malinois puppy, named Finn, from Red Acres Working Line K9s. At the time of our session, Finn was 9 weeks old, and was working on learning how to sit and come when called. Being a young puppy he naturally wanted to stay closer to us, which allowed us the freedom to photograph him off leash (I fully expected to be editing out a leash).

Now - I personally, have a dog that is nervous around new dogs, so I am very familiar with super quiet parks and trails in the Muskegon, MI. area, where the chances of seeing another dog are slim to none. A quiet environment makes photographing dogs MUCH easier, and allowed Finn the chance to explore a new terrain without concerns of running into other people or dogs.

I like to start my sessions with a few poses, more so to test the waters and see how easy or challenging the dog is going to be while photographing. Some dogs are incredibly focused, and will remain in place, only looking when they hear a noise. Other dogs, like Finn, are energetic and have a harder time staying still.

From these first few poses on this log, I knew Finn needed to explore and get out his excitement of being at a new location. I scratched that log idea and opted to continue walking down the trail, letting Finn scamper around and snuffle up all the smells.

After 10 minutes of walking, we came across a straight section of the trail. I asked Veronica to stand further down the trail, and her husband, Jim, to stand by me. I then had Veronica and Jim recall Finn back and forth between them. This reinforced his recall and auto sit training, giving Finn an enriching game he could benefit from treat wise, and gave me a chance to capture action shots as he ran back and forth down the trail.

Finn, as majority of dogs do, came to tackle me and cover me in kisses. A person was oddly at his level - it must mean they needed puppy kisses!! 😂 😘 As much as I would LOVE to snuggle and play with him, I have to hide my head and not engage. Without receiving attention from me, Finn refocused back on his owners, and took off to find treats and attention elsewhere.

After that, I had Veronica do a few minutes of heeling, and asking for a sit and a down from Finn. He happily obliged! I focused on capturing the budding relationship between Finn and Veronica, and portraits of Finn in between the movement shots.

We then released Finn to go play along the trail as we continued to walked. I like to keep a happy balance between photographing, allowing the dog breaks to play or relax in between locations. It keeps the dog eager to please and a positive experience overall for them.

I found another log that was a bit wider, and when we asked Finn to climb on it, he took right off, trotting up and down the log, chewing on bits and pieces along the way. This was an excellent excuse to build Finn’s confidence through coordination, and introducing him to new textures and smells.

He was still energetic, and could only stay on the log if he continued moving. If we asked him to sit or stand still, he would loose his coordination and slide off the side of it! It made us all laugh, followed by cheering when Finn’s determination got him back up on the log all by himself!

After that we headed back down the trail, and when we came to a beautifully lit area, I asked Veronica to play with and toss a stick for Finn. Knowing that Finn is going to be a protection dog, I wanted to photograph him biting, choosing a stick as it naturally matched the landscape, but it was an appropriate item for him to bite (vs fingers or ankles!). This added to my collection of action shots, and encouraged Finn’s playful personality to come out.

I knew Finn was getting tired, and that I hadn’t captured a quality photo of him laying down, Hoping Finn would plop down in the trail, I asked Veronica and Jim to stand quietly on either side. If Finn was going to lay down, it was going to within eyesight of his owners, and more than likely next to one of them.

After a bit more play, he finally laid down next to Jim, facing Veronica. It wasn’t for long, but it was all I needed to check that pose off my list!

With a laid back vibe, focusing more on having a positive adventure, and simultaneously training the dog as we go, I was able to photograph Finn with ease. Sure, it’s wonderful to work with perfectly trained dogs, but sometimes you miss out on the personality that comes through when you allow the dog to lead the adventure, playing and training with their best friends along the way.

Veronica was skeptical of what we could capture with a new puppy, but with a safe location, balancing training and play, and my focusing on capturing his puppy personality, we left the park with an incredible collection of photos.

Take a peek at the footage from my go-pro, mounted on the top of my camera. This will show you how Finn played at the end of his session, and where half of the images from this gallery came from!