What does the business need to provide?

Not much.

I need:

• a clear wall or small open area where I can set up
• a staff member who can help bring the dogs to me and assist with a little wrangling when needed
• the dogs themselves

That's about it.

The dogs can stay on leash during the photography. There is no need to remove leashes and hope everyone suddenly develops perfect obedience for picture day. I remove the leashes later during the editing process.

I bring the lights, camera equipment, technology and photography skills needed to create the finished portraits.

That means the business does not have to buy photography equipment, build elaborate seasonal sets or assign multiple employees to help manage the process.

In, photographed, and back to their day

When I photograph dogs at a daycare or boarding facility, my goal is to keep the process moving while still giving each dog the attention needed for a good portrait.

Each dog can be brought into the temporary photography area, photographed, and then promptly returned to his or her kennel or play routine.

Some dogs think a photo session is the greatest development in human history because LOOK! A NEW PERSON! TREATS! ATTENTION!

Others would prefer that we finish our nonsense and return them to their regularly scheduled nap.

I can work with both.

Keeping the actual photography portion short helps reduce stress, particularly for dogs who may already be adjusting to being away from home. It also means the event can fit around the facility's regular workflow rather than taking it over.

Even the "siblings" don't necessarily have to pose together

There is another very useful advantage to photographing this way: dogs from the same household can be photographed separately and still appear together in the finished portrait.

Anyone who has ever attempted to get two dogs to sit still, look in the same direction, keep their ears up, stop sniffing one another and generally behave like respectable members of society understands why this is useful.

Photographing them individually allows me to concentrate on getting a great expression from each dog. Then I can combine them into one finished scene.

Nobody has to know that one sibling was ready for Vogue while the other had temporarily forgotten his own name.

I can handle the customer follow-up, too

The photography itself does not have to create another administrative job for the business.

I can handle the follow-up and delivery of the finished images directly to the pet owners. Each customer can receive a private online gallery of his or her dog's photographs, making delivery simple for both the business and the client.

That leaves the boarding, daycare or grooming staff doing what they normally do best: taking care of the dogs.

An easy "yes" for pet parents

Perhaps the biggest advantage for boarding facilities, doggy daycares and even grooming businesses is that this is an exceptionally easy service for customers to say yes to.

Their dog is already there.

They already trust the business to care for their pet.

They don't have to find a photographer, schedule another appointment, drive across town, wrangle the dog into the car or set aside part of their weekend for a photo session.

The photography simply becomes an additional experience offered while their dog is already in your care.

And judging from the response to these Fourth of July portraits, pet parents love it.

Seasonal possibilities are almost endless

The Fourth of July was only one example.

Now I'm already thinking ahead.

Fall leaves and pumpkins. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas.

Different backgrounds can create completely different finished portraits while the basic photography process remains the same: a small space, a simple setup, minimal help from staff, a few minutes with each dog, and back they go.

For a pet-care business, it's something fun to offer existing customers without adding a complicated new service to daily operations.

For the owners, it's a surprise waiting for them featuring the family member they probably talk about more than most of their human relatives.

And for the dogs?

A few minutes of attention, perhaps a treat or two, and then back to the important business of being a dog.

I'd call that a pretty good arrangement.

If you own or manage a doggy daycare, boarding facility or grooming business and you'd like to explore a seasonal portrait event for your customers, let's talk. You provide a little space, a staff member and the dogs. I bring the photography setup and take care of the rest.

And if you send your dog to a kennel for daycare or grooming, and they are not offering this fun - why not?  Get them on board!

Now the only question is…

What are we doing for Halloween?