Hello again, Adventure pack, and welcome to my quick chat about why a dog leash isn’t a big deal (for photoshoots)!

There are a lot of dogs out there that, for whatever reason, must remain on a leash. But whatever reason that may be, it doesn’t prevent them from getting awesome photos taken.

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before – “That’s photoshopped.”

And guess what? Chances are, it’s true.

Just like how photo editors can make a model lose a million pounds for a Cosmopolitan cover photo, so too can dog photographers remove things like leashes, collars, and dog tags.

In general, any photographer worth their weight will remove leashes and harnesses from photos because they distract from the overall photo. These items can be removed using whichever editing platform they use – for me that’s Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

There are also tricks you can do like hiding the leash behind your dog or hiding it behind an object your dog is near. When you hide the leash, it keeps your photos as natural as possible, as well as keeping them secured and still on a leash.

So while a lot of parents have a concern about their dogs being off-leash, they should never have to worry about it in the first place because it can be easily removed or hidden in the first place.

Full disclosure – I *do* ask dog parents if it’s ok to remove harnesses and leashes, only because I prefer to have clean photos with as much original detail as possible. (Trust me when I say it’s better than a photoshopped version!) Sometimes dogs are free to run around on their own, and that’s totally fine. Sometimes harnesses can be removed but leashes stay on, and that’s totally fine too.

No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, a good dog photographer will be able to make the best of it and make your dog shine.

With all that said, I’ll share one caveat – we’re not miracle workers.

Sometimes in order to remove harnesses, we need “source fur” to copy from. If there isn’t a good spot to source from, then your edited photo is going to look like a hot mess.

Beyond harnesses, tags and collars can also get in the way. I do all I can to remove tags and collars, but sometimes the circumstances just won’t allow for it (it’s usually not a problem, though).

I’ll also quickly call out the dog parents that love accessories – If you are one of the types that love your designer dog tags, collars, harnesses, and leashes, then more power to you! If there is a request to keep those items in a photo, I still work with you to style it in a way that actually showcases those items instead of having them haphazardly laying around.

That’s why a dog leash isn’t a big deal for photoshoots – Photoshop editing, and smart planning in the first place. But if you want to show off some bling? We’ll work with you on it.

So if your dog has to remain on a leash for the session, it’s not a big deal at all!