Why is that even when we know the right way to do something, we can throw all that knowledge out the window and do the exact opposite?

If I had a client book a session and tell me that it was with two Great Danes (one of which is a boisterous,strong willed teenager) and one person, I’d make sure we did everything we could to maximise our chances of a successful shoot.  Things like…

1.  Enlisting a helper to look after whichever dog isn’t in front of the camera.

2.  Asking the client to take the dogs out for a good walk/play earlier in the day, and then for a calm walk around our location for a good 15-30mins prior to the session start time.

3.  Making sure we had plenty of shooting time before we were likely to lose light.

4.  Checking out the location  in advance and knowing exactly where we’d have the best light and least amount of distractions.

So when my friend Kylie asked me to take some photos of her dogs Magic & Brando (who I know is exactly the kind of strong willed, boisterous teenager mentioned above), you’d think I’d pull on the experience I’ve gained over the last few years to come up with a strategy for a successful session…. Right?

WRONG!!!   This is how yesterday’s session went down.

3pm. Me arriving at Kylie’s place and getting both dogs nicely worked up by teasing them over the fence so I could take a photo to post on the Facebook page.

3.05 Kylie texting to say she’s just leaving work.  Still has to get home, change, grab the dogs and walk down to our location…

3.35 Start walking to the location (that I’ve not been to before) with two dogs who’ve been in the back yard all day, and are super excited that Mum’s home AND they’re going straight out for a walk.

3.45 Find a spot to start shooting.  Then after managing to capture a single decent shot of Kylie and Brando together, lose Brando (with Kylie in hot pursuit) to a wild run through the forest.

4-4.30 Attempt (unsuccessfully) to salvage a few decent shots before we completely lose light and decide to throw in the towel and try again another day.

And now for your entertainment… here’s what a pet photographer brain fart looks like in pictures!