Why to Book, and How to Prepare for, an End of Life Pet Session

The summer before 7th grade I took tennis lessons at the park. My mom would sit and watch practices, chatting with the other parents and making friends. I don’t think I ever played tennis before or after that summer, and it was pretty uneventful - until the day we found him. There he was - a beautiful pomeranian cramped into a cat carrier, being brought to the Humane Society after his owner’s family finished their tennis lesson. My mother decided she was going to find him a home, and convinced his owner to give him to her instead. Luckily, that didn't happen, and he spent the rest of his life with us.

Butta was my constant companion. We did everything together, including coordinating our outfits. He had an affinity for hats, and loved a good pleather jacket. He was also my grandpa’s favorite grandchild, especially in his older years. 

We lost Butta at the age of 17 in 2019. He lived a long, wonderful life with a loving family and 4 sisters, but when I want to show anyone what he looked like all I have are crummy cell phone pictures. I wish so badly that I had quality photos of him showing him in his little puppet crowns, or in his bomber jacket. 

One of my old cell phone pictures of Butta in his jacket

So often we get to the end of our pet’s life and we realize we have no good photos of them. This realization can happen right at the end, when we realize it’s time to make a difficult choice. When you decide to book an End of Life Session, it’s best to act quickly. You’ll want to reach out immediately and lock down dates. When we book these sessions, they’re treated with a special level of urgency. We work extra hard to fit sessions into our schedule as unfortunately, sometimes we’re working with a very limited timeline.

To prepare for your session, first you’ll want to decide what type of photo backdrop you want. We offer in-home studio sessions with seamless paper backdrops in a variety of colors and studio lighting - but many clients opt for photos in their pet’s favorite spot in the home or outside.

You’ll also want to send a mood board ahead of time to show what you’re looking for. It’s also a great idea to show examples of some other pet pictures you’ve found that you love. Most people think of End of Life Sessions as strictly sad or somber photos, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can showcase your pet’s unique personality here, and your relationship with them. 

Fashion stylist and a cat model - this session showed off their creative personalities

Before the shoot, you’ll want to grab some of your pet’s favorite treats and make sure to have their toys handy. You should brush your pet if possible, and clear their faces of any streaks or marks. We do retouching on our photos, but making sure they look clean the day of can cut down greatly on this step.

If your pet is no longer mobile, you should plan to include yourself in some of the pictures. You don’t need to show your face in them if you’re not comfortable, but it will put your pet at ease to be in your arms during this time. Wear something comfortable and flattering, either a single color or very simple patterns. 

Hands are very often in these photos, even if you’re not holding your pet in the photos. Getting a full manicure isn't necessary, but you should keep hand lotion nearby. 

The most important thing is to be emotionally prepared for your session, and remember that this should be a cathartic experience and is a celebration of your pet’s life. When you hire Ginkgo Lens Photography, you can trust that we treat these sessions with the respect they deserve, and do everything within our power to showcase your pet how they should be remembered– how you want them to be.

This guy had some issues with goopy eyes and knots, but we cleaned him up during editing

If you’re interested in an End of Life Session, please reach out to us here at Ginkgo Lens Photography. We are happy to answer any and all questions.

Serving Monmouth County NJ, Middlesex County NJ, Bergen County NJ, Ocean County NJ, Mercer County NJ, Hudson County NJ, and NYC. Willing to to travel for full sessions.