A Day in the Life of a Pet Photographer

published in:  www.FreshLifestyleMag.com

My cats usually wake me up between 5-5:30 am every morning.  They wake me up early even on my days off.  My sweet cat named Summer scratches at the edge of my bed until I wake up and feed them.  I have six cats and they all have very different personalities.  Dragon begs for treats many times a day by jumping on the bed and meowing.  Winter likes to be up high and jumps on top of the cabinets.  Gidget's shy but very sweet.  Autumn likes to meow for attention by the door.  When we first rescued her she wouldn't let us touch her, but now after two years she can't seem to get enough attention and pettins.  Olive is the momma to Summer, Winter and Dragon when rescued them as a family when the babies were about 3 weeks old.  They still had baby blue eyes when we first adopted them and their momma.

12-16catsChristmasPet Photography by A Style Photography

I multi-task and eat breakfast while checking my email and social media sites.  I love eating dessert for breakfast which gives me a great morning sugar rush.  Although I am trying to be more healthy, I still like something sweet to start off the day.  Today I tried to be more healthy and had honey nut Cherrios with banana slices instead of my normal cookies or cheesecake.

5-16catsi0295Pet Photography by A Style Photography

On most days I spend two or three hours in the morning editing pet portraits in Photoshop.  Then I spend 15-30 minutes petting my six cats before heading out for the day.   They all gather downstairs by the sliding glass door.  My 6 cats are inside cats, but we also feed tons of stray neighborhood cats in our backyard too.  I think my cats liked to be petted by the sliding glass door, so that they backyard cats can watch them and be jealous.

7-16DooneyPenny2187-1Pet Photography by A Style Photography

  On days when I am holding a pet photo event at a local pet business, I load my car with tons of props and photography equipment.  I have to load my car like a jigsaw puzzle to fit in all the fun props.  I have different props for every holiday.  I then spend the day photographing and playing with dogs.  Although some times people bring other animals such as cats, bunnies, lizards, hamsters, goats, and more.  After a fun day of photographing, I pack my car back up, drive home, and then unload.  Next I download the photos from the day and back them up to an external hard drive.  

3-17Alfie-1018Pet Photography by A Style Photography

Then it's dinner time for the cats and myself.  If I have any energy left from the long day I edit for another hour or two before bedtime.   Before I sleep the cats want more treats and pettins. 

4-17PetWinery-2905-996Pet Photography by A Style Photography

On days I don't have pet events I edit, print, or photograph private photo sessions in people's homes or at local parks.  My cats love days when I do product photography photo shoots especially if it's a pet product that they get to taste or play with.  They love treats and prefer chicken and turkey.  Cats get bored very easily and they love to be entertained with new things even if it's just a new empty cardboard box from a product. 

11-15Kylee0360-2Pet Photography by A Style Photography

Do you have a product, pet, or family you would like photographed?  Email me at [email protected] to schedule.