Pet portrait photography in Santa Cruz

Why get a portrait of your pet? From dogs, cats, rabbits to horses, or even a rat, we love our pets and they really are part of our family.

“I had a wonderful experience at Portia Shao’s studio. I originally went to get a few portraits of myself dressed in my military uniform for a Father s Day gift. She was very accommodating and flexible. I ended up bringing my dog, Jazz, along and Portia even took a few shots of us together- which turned out to be some of the cutest shots I have of her. My dog was actually smiling! Portia made me feel completely at ease during the photo shoot and had many creative ideas. You can tell photography is not just a job to her, but also a passion.” Jessica said.

Some pets are harder to photograph than others, a black dog usually looks like a black blob in a snapshot. Linda had not been able to get a good photo of her dog Lucy until she came to my studio. Lucy enjoyed the spotlight, and actually posed for the photo. And of course Linda loves this photo of her and Lucy.

Dogs do smile, and I try to capture them smiling if possible.

I have been the volunteer photographer at Santa Cruz SPCA since 2008. Here is a video produced by Adobe which captures what happens during a photo shoot at the SPCA.

Horses are not photographed in the studio for obvious reasons. I really love this photo session with an elderly horse named Mouse! Sadly he has now passed away, but Cyndi has these photos to cherish forever.

I love it when you have more than one pet, and here is a collection of dogs and cat and even some chickens in a unique pet portrait, which is also a family portrait. If you have a pet or several, don’t wait to get their portraits until it’s too late. Cute puppies grow up super fast, and older pets really deserve to get their portrait today. Contact me now so you will have a great portrait of your pets to enjoy forever.

For more examples of pet portraits, please visit my gallery of pet portraits.