Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast, the show for dog lovers who
see dogs not as toys or tools, but wise souls worth our respect and care.
I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.
I talk to poor some humans, people who do great work for dogs and their people.
So come and join us for today's conversation.
Anke: Hello and welcome, Nicole.
I'm very happy to have you here.
Nicole: Very happy to be here.
Thank you for the invitation, Anke.
Anke: My pleasure.
And we have a delightful topic today.
So before we dive in, let people know where in this lovely world you are
and what's your business with dogs?
Nicole: Absolutely.
Um, so I am the Vice President of Growth and Strategy for
George Street Photo and Video.
Personally, I love dogs.
I have two myself and my fur babies, as I call them.
And, um, but at the photography company, we are working with,
uh, mostly wedding couples.
And we are always working with them with dogs.
animals.
You know, many people, they're part of the family, like my
dogs are part of my family.
And so people are bringing them to their big day or as part
of their engagement session.
And so we are constantly working with our photographers and with their dogs
to make sure that all of the couples have everything that they need.
Anke: I love that.
I just love that.
And you know, when, when I think of weddings with dogs or, you know, animals,
but we're talking about dogs here.
When I think of weddings and wedding photos with, with, with dogs, I always
think of the funny ones where, you know, the dog like photo bombs or, or steps
on the dress or, you know, it's funny.
So, so what is something that people, because I mean if you love your
dog, obviously you want the dog to be part of the wedding, right?
So what is something that, you know, you wish people knew?
What is something that people kind of often maybe don't consider?
Nicole: Well, there are two things, Anke.
And the first thing is making sure you know your dog.
You know, so you had mentioned about the photobombs.
Some of the very best photos are when the dog takes this picture.
The show, you know, they are there, they are doing what they, what they want.
We've seen where, you know, all of a sudden in the middle of the vows that,
you know, the, the dog decides, alright, I'm gonna be mom and dad during the Vs.
And they'll jump on top.
And so that's amazing shot and has everyone, you know, fully
with themselves and laughter.
And so it has some of the, most of, the, most of the.
I'm sorry, I don't know if you can cut that out.
Um, most of the, um, it has, you know, seeing all the dogs, you know,
jump up with their parents and what it really helps to do is to make sure
that, you know, they're capturing the true essence of the couple
and the dog and the relationship.
Or we'll have, some of my favorite photos are when the dog actually sits on the
dresser, the veil, and just decides that they're going to sit there the
entire, you know, the entire ceremony.
We have it where the dog is supposed to be walking down the aisle but decides
to take a detour, you know, so those are some of the very best moments.
So just remembering your dog is the dog and, you know, as much as they're part
of the family, they may take the show.
The second piece is that, um, Really making sure that, you know, again,
with the knowing your dog, your dog may, may not do well with cameras,
may not do well with a large audience.
So most importantly, making sure that you're doing something
that's workable for your dog.
And with that, um, you know, I have some, you know, very specific
recommendations, something that I personally had to make that decision
with when I got buried as well.
And so, you know, with, with that, Keeping in mind that if your dog
doesn't do well with groups, you might have to find an alternative
to have them be part of the wedding.
That might mean engagement session, might have a pre session.
It could also be, you know, maybe the day before the wedding where
you take some photos with your dog so that you can capture, you
know, capture your dog with you.
It could also be where maybe you have photos of your dog
as part of, you know, of that.
We've seen that in lieu of, um, party favors where somebody might do
a donation on behalf of their dog.
So maybe they do it to a pet charity of their choice.
And instead of, you know, giving the caramelized apples at the
end of the day, you know, they've done a contribution instead.
So there are many ways to really bring in your pet, whether they
can be there physically or not.
Anke: I love that.
I think that opens up a whole new, you know, because, you know, I don't know,
like I, I host a lot of like classes and summits and quite often when I see what
people are worried about, the way people are asking, a lot of it is like, you
know, my dog's anxious, my dog's reactive.
So, you know, like dragging them to a big party is probably not the best way.
And I love like to almost like get away from like looking
at the dog as part of it.
As a way of like, how can we include the dog, and it doesn't
necessarily mean physical presence.
Nicole: Exactly.
I love
Anke: that.
Nicole: So, with my personal story, I had a hundred pound Roddy, and
she was sweet as sweet as can be.
She, her name was Estelle, and Estelle did whatever she wanted to do.
Estelle was a terrified, terrified camera.
And so I knew I really wanted her to be part of the wedding, but I knew that I
had to make some very specific decisions.
So I actually had a family friend stay with Estelle.
So Estelle could be at the site and, but you know, no cameras around.
I made sure that I had her with me, um, you know, while I was getting ready.
And then what, what we do is anytime we were going to bring out the
cameras, we would move her aside.
Um, and then during this, uh, during the reception, What we did was
we had, um, we asked what all the photographers while they were eating
to please keep their cameras down.
And so she made a guest appearance and I, and I made sure like ahead of it, I had
somebody announce like, please no cameras because she would panic and take off.
That was how we terrified cameras.
And so she came in, she had her cute little bow that matched my dress and
she came in, we did a loop around.
She said hi to the people, you know, she was fond of and
then she exited, but that was.
That was, you know, how I was able to bring her in, knowing that it
was either a stealth or having my, you know, my wedding photograph.
And so those are decisions you have to make, because if the dog
isn't going to feel comfortable, why put them under that pressure?
Anke: Yeah, yeah.
I mean, I'm totally fascinated by the idea of like, do you kind
of have an idea of what about the camera would be so scary for the dog
Nicole: I think that she, I don't know exactly, to be honest with you.
I adopted her when she was six, so I think that it was something ahead of,
you know, her being part of my life.
But, um, you know, I know that there was one time that there
was a flash and that scared her.
So I don't know, every time she saw the camera, maybe she, you
know, related it to a flash.
Anke: Yeah, that, that, that would make sense.
I mean, what, what's the funniest story like you've seen?
Like, you know, I don't know, like I've sort of seen some funny
videos, but, but what's the funniest thing that you've witnessed?
Or like, what are the photographers that you're working with?
Like, what's the funniest thing?
Nicole: One of the fun, I mean, there are many, many funny ones, but one of
the funniest was when, um, the, um, the, you know, so the dog, instead of,
like, walking slowly down the aisle, decided to run, you know, so the,
and there was a little child holding it, so the, the child is also running with
the dog, you know, so the two of them are pretty much just, you know, beelining
for, you know, for the, for the groom, in this case, and so, Um, you know, just
hurried and then, you know, and then the whole time it was just, the doc just kept
You know, I don't want to say acting up, it was just simply being them, you know,
and so, you know, there was, you know, the running and then, you know, sitting
on the dress and then, you know, jumping up and just not, you know, walking back
down the aisle ahead of the professional.
So, you know, they really, you know, stole the show, but it was really
funny and the couple was so delighted, you know, delighted about it.
So, just having everyone, you know, laughing and You know, you know,
engaged with, you know, with the dog, but it was, it was really quite
funny to see the whole thing happen.
It breaks the ice for sure, right?
And everyone
Anke: was light hearted about it.
I mean, is this something, have you had people that would
say, well, let me practice?
With the dog, like, is that a thing?
Nicole: Well, they always, you know, we always recommend that, you know, ahead
of the, ahead of the day that they do do a rehearsal, a rehearsal of some sort.
Um, but you never know what's going to happen in the moment.
Anke: I'm always too worried if, like, if I'm sort of thinking of, like, my
lair, you've got to pour, you've peed on.
Nicole: I haven't seen that.
And that, but that is a good point Anke, you probably want to make sure
the dog relieves themselves ahead of, you know, of the party, you know.
Anke: Leo certainly would have like stolen food off the table
like that, especially when, when, like, he was, Like, that's him.
And he would have, he would have, like, he was small, right, but he would
basically go and he'd get away with it because he was, like, he was the master
of stealing food when nobody is watching.
So, like, he, he would, he, he knew how to not get caught.
I guess, you know, when I found him, he'd spent some time in the
street, so he figured that one out.
So he would jump on the chair, which gave him access to the table.
And then he'd give you the innocent face when he's like, well, I'm small.
Like I can't possibly snip off the table.
I, he probably would have wiped out.
Nicole: I haven't seen a dog steal the cake, but that's, I could, I
could potentially see that happening.
You probably want to be mindful of just kind of watching.
When the cake comes out, for sure.
Anke: Oh, that's funny.
So do sometimes people do special shoots with the dog?
Nicole: Yeah, we, we highly recommend it.
One of the most popular and great ways to include the dog in a, if you do
want them to be part of the day or not, you know, just kind of depending is to
have them be part of your engagement photos, so your save the date photos.
Like, you know, there are so many wonderful props, like my
humans are getting married.
Or, or, you know, she was mine first or she said yes, or he,
you know, and he said yes.
So having, um, it's a really fun way to, you know, to have that be part of the
introduction of your, of your, you know, wedding day so that everyone knows and
making sure that it's part of the family.
And we've even seen where a common pose is that the couple will be
sitting in the, in the background and the dogs will be in the foreground.
And so the focus is more on the dogs and their signs.
And then the humans are in the background, you know, so it's just, it's really cute.
It depends on how you want it, but we recommend, um, doing that.
You can also do a pre session, like the day before your wedding,
maybe on the rehearsal day.
Or, you know, post wedding as well, um, because, you know, there are just many
ways that you can bring it in, but I do think that, you know, letting your
dog have, have the dog's personality, your personality being there and being,
allowing the family as a unit to be seen in the, in the photos is such,
such a wonderful idea, whether it's the wedding day, pre or post wedding.
Anke: Yeah, I love that.
So, is there something specific, like, like the photographers, like, do they
need some sort of special training or does somebody, you know, like, what is
it that they will need in order to pull this off as opposed to a normal wedding?
I'm thinking, you know, like reining in puppies and, like, speaking of
the wedding guests, it's probably already a chunky job, right?
But so, What's an additional, you know, like, what does
it mean for a photographer?
Because I would imagine, I don't know, like, that's, that's, is that a thing?
Like, if, if somebody goes to a photographer, like, hey, I want wedding
photos, will there be some who go, no, no, no, I don't do dog stuff?
Or like, is this something that every photographer just kind of does?
Or like, what's, what's your experience there?
Nicole: There are some photographers, you know, where they don't
feel comfortable with dogs.
And so, um, you know, in the case of our business, we just make sure that.
That is known, and we make sure that the couple knows that.
But most, most of our photographers, and most photographers I know personally,
are happy to capture the dogs, and I think it's more about just kind
of really being able to have those candid, photojournalistic moments of
capturing what's so, because that's what you're going to get with your pet.
Like, your, your pet may never sit and look at the camera.
That may never happen, you know?
But it's more about two with a couple bringing things that work for the dog.
So maybe the dog has a favorite treat that will help the photographer out.
There might be toys that will help with the dog, you know,
being engaged in the moment.
So the, many of our photographers will actually use those or suggest to
the couple ahead of time, make sure you're bringing some of the favorites,
make sure that you have, we always recommend having a handler that's
available too, because the photographer is trying to take the photos, but
you have somebody else who's holding.
You know, holding the toy and speaking it.
You always
Anke: see that, yeah.
On Instagram sometimes, you know, there's like Instagram accounts where
photographers, where they take you know, like, new photos for the shelter,
you know, for the adoption photos, and there's always the photographer and
somebody else is holding the treat, right?
Nicole: Yes, exactly.
Because it's, you know, it's impossible to do all, all things.
So really having someone there to help support, you know, family friend
or a, you know, maybe you have a pet sitter or pet, a dog walker.
So having someone there to help support, but treats, toys.
Bones What?
Whatever, whatever the dog, again, knowing your dog, what, what does your dog like?
What is gonna help support your dog to be successful at the photo shoot?
Along with, along with you.
But what we found mostly is that people seem to be even more relaxed
when their pet is with them.
You know, because, you know, people get shy in front of the camera.
So when you have a pet, people laugh.
People are enjoying, there's a calmness or, or maybe not, but it's, you know,
all things and, uh, really capture some wonderful, wonderful shots.
Anke: Yeah, I can totally see that, you know, because I think your mind's
also a little bit off your own, like, you know, you kind of look at what
the dog does and whether the dog's okay and whether the dog, you know,
to make sure the dog isn't doing what they're not supposed to and whatever.
So I think it just takes your mind off, you know.
Nicole: Exactly, yeah, it helps to relieve the stress and then also to When you
have somebody who's there to help, you know, handle the dog, then you also have,
you're able to get shots of the two, you know, the two of you, plus the three or
four or five of you, depending on how many, uh, dogs you have at one time.
But this allows for everything to go smoothly.
So that's, that's another recommendation I have.
And then, you know, if your, if your dog is also, you know, just
afraid in general too, you may have, have some of those shots, but.
You know, having those in the distance with the photographers in a distance.
So you can still incorporate your, you know, your pet and as part of
your family, but it could just be done in a way that works for all of you.
Anke: Yeah.
I mean, you were just saying like one dog, like, have you ever had it?
Like, you know, wedding, like with more, I mean, I have more than one
dog, so that would be hilarious.
Yeah.
Nicole: Yeah.
I mean, we, we haven't really seen it with three or four dogs, you know,
and we've had, we've had really fun photos from the distance where the,
The couple is actually walking the dog, but the dog actually starts to run.
This is during an engagement session.
And so you see the couple kind of, you know, you know, jotting down, but it's
really, it's a really Fun photo, you know, it really showcases the family.
And, um, and so again, those are some of the best shots, is
when your dog takes the stage.
I love
Anke: it, I love it, you know, because at the end of the day that's
like just real life and, you know.
Nicole: It's so true, right?
It just showcases what, you know, the real, the real life
Anke: moments.
I love it.
So where can people go and, um, you know, find a photographer that does a
good job with the dog and find out about you and, you know, your company or work?
Where, where can people go?
And maybe stalk you on Instagram to
Nicole: get
Anke: a good laugh.
Nicole: Well, we love that.
Um, so it's georgetreetphoto.
com is our website.
And then our Instagram handle is at georgetreetphoto.
Anke: Cool.
So obviously it's kind of, it's going to be in the show notes
and above or below here directly.
So easy to find.
Nicole: Wonderful.
And we do have a lot of articles about, you know, with bringing
your dog to your photo shoot.
So checking out our blog is a great way.
And also on our Instagram.
Anke: Love that.
Love that.
Thank you so much.
This is so much fun.
And I think it's just
Nicole: such
Anke: a beautiful idea, right?
I think it's just gorgeous.
So thanks for coming and, you know, sharing all these tips.
So we're prepared.
Thank you so much, Anke.
Thanks so much for listening.
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That's A N k E at Soul touched by dogs.com.