Photographing a Litter of Puppies From Birth to 8 Weeks
As well as 2 human boys, we also have 3 gorgeous girl doggies, Daisy, the Cockerspaniel, Luna the Long Haired Miniature Daschund and Coco the Pomeranian. All have had litters of adorable babies and we have loved the experience as a family. As well as all the puppy snuggles I've really enjoyed documenting their amazing growth and change through my photography. Each puppy has left with a custom baby book of photos of their development over their first 8 weeks.
Dogs are only pregnant for 8-9 weeks (wish this was the same for humans!!) and then are born with fur, eyes and ears closed and only able to crawl around on their belly...usually straight to mums milk bar where they remain for the next few weeks growing at an amazing rate and usually doubling their birth weight in the first week alone! Photographing them when they are just born is tricky as mum is usually so intent on keeping them clean,toasty warm and fed, so I usually just snap a very quick pic with my on camera flash of myself or husband holding them (whilst they squiggle and squirm). These aren't the best quality photos but I do love how it shows just how teeny tiny they are at first!
When they are 1 week old, they've doubled in size, but still have their ears and eyes closed and crawl around blindly on their bellies. Their noses are pink and they usually start turning brown or over the next few weeks. Their coat colour can also change over the 8 weeks. Two of Luna's puppies were 'shaded creams' where they started off black and become more and more cream until at the age of around 6 months they are almost fully cream! Daisy's stud was a cockerpoo so her litter where 1/4 poodle meaning that a few started to get curly hair after a few weeks, some got waves or were shaggy and others were straight like their mum. Coco is extreemly fluffy but her babies were born with only a light covering of hair but fluffed up at an amazing rate over the 8 weeks.
By 2 weeks old they usually have their little eyes open and are starting to lift their heads a bit more. By 3 weeks their eyes are bigger and brighter and they're pushing up on their little legs and keeping their head up for longer. By 4 weeks they are starting to sit up and try to walk. Mum is giving them longer breaks without milk and they will have started on solid food already. By week 5 they are usually walking really well and starting to explore and get into everything.
By 6 weeks they are running around and full of mischief. It's important to have a quick shutter speed now to not get a series of blurred images and my group shots usually end up being composites of a series of 10 images where I pick the best of each pup and merge in photoshop. Weeks 6,7 and 8, strange noises are your best friend. Something the pups have never heard before usually gets their attention for a couple of seconds, a big meow or a high pitched whistle works well but once they've heard them a couple of times they're not interested so I usually have a stash of different whistles, bells and squeakers to get their attention. I also like to put them in or on props as these images not only show their tiny size but also give me a second to get a shot before they work out how to get out/off the prop. When the puppies new family come to pick them up I always encourage them to get infront of the camera too for a first family picture and the last page of their baby book. The love and emotions in these sessions make me feel so priveliged to do this job, both of breeding adorable puppies which bring so much joy to families, as well as being able to capture these moments in special photographs for the family to cherish.
Tips for taking your own litter pics on your phone in your own home...
Good lighting is essential so set up where you are going to do your shoot by your biggest source of natural light. A plain background usually shows off the puppies really well without distraction. Maybe use a white wall or pull and clip a blanket tightly to a low chair. Have an assitant just out of shot ready to line up the pups and keep them in place. Get down on the same level as the puppies and focus on their eyes. If you have a phone or camera where you can change the shutter speed, a faster shutter speed is helpful to catch non blurry pics of the fast moving pups! And have fun!!!