We often get asked of how our photo sessions roll, so we decided to put together this quick reference guide which can help dog owners plan their visit to the most dog-friendly photo studio in Kentish Town, NW London.
Getting to us, parking and amenities:
Our studio is located in London NW5 3AN, just two minutes walking distance from Kentish Town Underground Station (Northern line zone 2). TFL buses number 393, 214, 134, 88 stop literally in front of our door. Parking is free over the weekend, during the week an annoying restriction of 8:30am-6:30pm applies. There’s plenty of paid street parking at £3.55 an hour. There are a couple of restaurants and cafés right next to our building where you can recharge on caffeine and snacks.
The Studio:
The photoshoot:
A typical session takes between 1 and 2 hours. We have plenty of space and you can take the lead off from the moment your four pawed friend enters the studio. We provide toys, but some models are better off without them as the level of excitement goes through the roof and then good luck to the photographer :) Bowls of fresh water are constantly available.
You and your family members will have a private session. Unless specifically requested in advance, we do not allow other owners/dogs to be in the studio during that time.
Once our model sniffs all corners & intriguing hidden places and gets comfy, we get down to business. As a dog owner you have to be prepared to be constantly engaged for the duration of the entire session. Your dog will need you for reassurance and comfort, to give them guidance/directions of where to sit, to control their level of excitement, etc. It is a good idea to practise some basic commands such as ‘sit’ & ‘stay’ before booking a session over.
We would normally start playing with the dog and will start taking photos casually from a close distance, without stressing them out. Once we gain their trust and interest (treat bribery plays a major part!:), we continue until we get the right shot or until our model loses interest and needs a break. There is no defined start of the session – it is all fun and games and along the way we get some great pictures.
The welfare of the animals is our top priority - we always respect the wishes of the model, and if we see that they are tired, bored or uncomfortable in any way we immediately terminate the session.
Your part:
Get a good rest the night before, if you’d like to be photographed with your dog - you’d want to look your best.
Bring their favourite collars, clothes, toys, blankets, baskets – whatever you think is appropriate. If there is a special prop you’d like to bring over, just let us know so we can discuss how your idea can be realised.
If your dog has allergies or just likes a particular type of treats, it will probably be a good idea to bring some with you.
Be prepared to get involved in the session – we can’t emphasize this enough – you’ll have to work as hard as the photographer and follow their guidance.
If you’re in for an afternoon session, please do let the model have breakfast but do not feed/give treats to your dog at least a couple of hours before the session. Dogs have a very short attention span and when they are full, treats become not-so-interesting. There will be plenty of food during the session; rest assured that our models are always generously rewarded.
The above list is probably incomplete, we will be updating it as soon as we receive new questions, so
PLEASE ASK!:)
Drop us an email at studio (at) pawshot.uk and we’ll try to be as thorough as possible in our answers.
Hope to see you soon!:)
Stoyo & Nadia
PAWSHOT LONDON
