Blog with a dog…. AND a newborn baby.

Let’s face it, every second family has a dog these days. For good reason! Dogs are loyal companions, playful sidekicks and exercise partners who will never complain. Dogs are the perfect accompaniment to every family, whether it is a tiny Chihuahua or a towering Doberman. In my case, it’s a Bull Terrier (ugly, but cute hehe). Everybody likes dogs.

So, you might have read my blog title and be wondering where this is going… Let me tell you a short story.

Girl meets guy.
Girl and guy fall in love.
Girl and guy take the plunge and move in together.
Girl and guy buy a plant – it survives, hooray!
Girl and guy buy a dog – it also survives, double hooray!
Well, I guess that means it’s time for a baby.

So, when the already super cute family (consisting of aforementioned dog) bring a super cute baby into the world, how can you make those newborn photos even better? Yep, you bring the dog!

For many of my gorgeous clients, their dogs ARE their family. For others, dogs were their babies long before their children were welcomed into the clan. Perhaps on a different level, but still family nonetheless.

When Rochelle asked me if it would be okay to bring her dog to be included in baby Nevaeh’s newborn shoot, I said yes straight away. I didn’t hesitate for a second, what I really wanted to do was call her and say that her dog MUST come in. Not wanting to seem too keen or downright insane, I played it cool and simply said “Yeah, sure, if you like.” Let me tell you, I was even more excited when I found out that Rochelle owned a Blue English Staffy, they are just such beautiful animals.

On the day of our shoot, I arrived early for my standard setup procedure. I looked around, pondering what kind of shots I could create for Mum, Dad, bub and pup. I knew that first and foremost, I didn’t want the baby and dog involved in any risky positions where something could potentially go wrong. As most of you know, safety is always my first priority for clients. And, as most of you probably also know, both animals and babies are HUGELY unpredictable.

I decided on setups where I could work with composite images. To break it down, I would take a photo of the dog by itself with some props, and then take a photo of the baby alone with a prop. From that point, I joined them together in Photoshop to create a collaborative image involving both bub and pup.

There was one particular setup in which the dog was quite close to Nevaeh, but Dad was right by her side. You would never know though as Dad was successfully edited out and a beautiful photo was created in which a furry friend could join in on the family fun.

Keep in mind, shoots with animals may take on a slightly crazy mood – but this is all part of the process! It will certainly be an occasion to remember and a unique experience to say the least.

I’m so glad I expanded my horizons and took on this challenge for one of my lovely clients. I couldn’t be happier with how the session went and I’m even happier with the irreplaceable final images we produced. I hope that Rochelle and Jay love them as much as I do!

Emma x

Newborn photography Melbourne