Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you absolutely do. I've been asked so many times is it ok to photograph a dog who a person thinks is too young, too old, too active, too inactive, too distracted, too nervous, too much of a wanderer, too sociable, too unsociable! The list goes on. I have photographed 100's of dogs of all manner of different personalities and demeanours and all you need to do is to find their motivation, be patient, have a sense of humour and let them be themselves. Even if not off lead trained i can edit this out in post shoot. Location is also vital and if you are concerned we can have a good chat about it in the shoot planning stage

I live in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire so mainly work in the East Midlands but I am also frequently in Dunstable so offer shoots there a few weeks per month. I can also offer shoots in between these locations. I also can go on longer trips in the spring and summer months - check out my instagram for any tour info. Travel fees are therefore in general based from Mansfield or Dunstable. I charge 50p per mile from these location if the location is more than 10 miles from either location, in which case I charge for the whole trip.

Although I do prefer for dogs to be off the lead I understand this may not always be possible and there is still plenty we can do while your dog is on a lead.  If you have a nervous dog perhaps a shoot at your home would be more suitable, where they are most comfortable and chilled out. Or you could borrow a friend's garden if you don't have one, or an enclosed field that you can hire. I then edit leads out of the images that i capture.

My basic rule of thumb is that I am happy to photograph in all weathers apart from rain. This is no fun for you, your dog or for my camera. I always check what the weather is doing a couple of days before our shoot and then confirm or rearrange with you. In a situation whereby we meet up for a session and the weather suddenly turns sour, I will decide if the weather is not suitable and we will rearrange another time to meet. Basically, until you get your allocated and paid-for time for photography we will meet up until you have received it, and this won’t cost you any extra.

Absolutely! I adore puppies and you don't have to worry about them not being trained or able to sit and stay etc. The most important thing about my shoots is that dogs are safe and happy and have fun, so we'll let them do just that. We'll make sure we go to a safe place. As long as they are upto date with injections
If you would like some inspiration check out the gallery over on my portfolio page

Markragsdalephotography owns the copyright for all my images, except for pre-agreed commercial shoots.
You may not use any photograph taken by Markragsdalephotography to enter any competitions, promations for commercial gains.
The client must not edit any photo in any way without consent from Mark.
If posting on social media the client must show and give creditation within the post

There are great opportunities all year round and what time of year you choose to book will depend on what type of photos you are after. You may like the bluebells in the woods in spring, the wild flowers of summer or the fallen leaves of Autumn. The beach, for example, looks the same all year round but the water is certainly more chilly in the winter, but in my opinion there is nothing that beats winter sunlight and forests

The process roughly goes like this:
You book and tell me about your dog, their needs and where they like to go via forms / questions i send you
I can advise on suitable locations / ideas
We meet and do the shoot (relaxed and always fun) which is tailored to exactly what your dog likes to do, running around or simply posing and looking cute, whatever they like
I try and get as wide a variety of shots as possible and include you in the process
I edit the photos and upload the best to your own gallery
You select your digital photos and then i send them to you
Your photos remain in place should you or a friend wish to buy photos any time in the future, however after three months I reduce the numbers in your gallery to make space, but I will let you know.

Currently I don't include this in my packages. There are literally hundreds of available options and I didn’t want to confuse clients with too many options. Let me know what you want and I can probably get it for you however cost will be higher than digital prints but we can discuss this at a later date

A professional photographer not only has to consider the initial investment in purchasing gear, but the cost of taking care of and servicing their equipment over time. This includes, paying to have your gear cleaned, fixing parts that may become broken or even purchasing replacements due to heavy use

With a smartphone in your pocket or purse all the time, it’s super easy to snap a few photos of your dog anytime you want. But those hundreds of dog photos on your phone aren’t quite the same as high-quality, professional images of both your dog and you. Whether you post them to social media or hang them on your wall, professional photos are the perfect way to capture your relationship with your favourite furry friend.

Lighting conditions are most often best for photography early in the day or a couple of hours before sunset. In the middle of the day lighting can be quite harsh, especially if it’s a blazing hot day. Also, when it gets warmer, the middle of the day can become too hot for some breeds if we are not under any cover. Basically, I will make an assessment of your dog, the time of year and where we are due to go for the session to decide what is the most appropriate time.

Yes, of course you can bring along who you like, but try to keep numbers to a minimum so your dog doesn’t get too distracted by too many people. Two is an ideal number on the shoot because you can call your dog between you.

I am very happy to photograph any number of dogs (from the same household) and I charge £35 extra on top of the shoot fee per dog. I do not have these options on my website so please contact me for an invoice. Please note photos of the extra dog will be chargeable depending on the package selected

Once we have completed the photo session/s, I will then professionally edit the images and will be able to let you view your gallery after 1-2 weeks. This is a really important part of the process and it cannot be rushed. This is why I would never offer you to view the images on the same day as the shoot. Anybody that does, I would question the time and effort that has gone in to your final product. For me, it’s an integral part of the creative process.

Once edited, I will upload a gallery of images to your very own app there, you can use your phone, tablet or computer to view the photos which will have a watermark over them however once you select / order and pay for any others if you would like to you will then recive the photos without the watermark and yours to print or display on social media. The gallery stays live for 3 months, after which I reduce the numbers to make space but I always inform customers before doing this.