Since many of my 2020 weddings have rescheduled to next year, I’ve been spending my time with other industry creatives doing social-distancing friendly photoshoots. I have always enjoyed photographing people’s pets, and those portraits usually happen during an at-home family photoshoot, like Melissa and Marc’s. However for this special shoot with Blooms Design House, my sister brought over her 3 month old Holland lop bunny, Marshmallow for some adorable photos in the vignettes that we set up.

Similar to photographing newborns (human newborns!), it’s best to photograph pets during the time of day that they are more calm. For example, Marshmallow was calm and mostly asleep during these photos. Props are always great to have as well. For smaller animals like this bunny, we used an adorable rattan fishing creel stuffed with risers and a soft blanket to give Marshmallow height and comfort. If you don’t have a fishing creel on hand, you can use a rattan basket with a lid, like this Nantucket bike basket.

Just like the time it takes to photograph babies and kids, patience is key when photographing pets. I find that I’m usually able to snap photos for just a few minutes before the pet needs a break, but I don’t mind. These photos were worth the wait!

Mirelle Carmichael is an award-winning fine art photographer based in San Diego and Santa Barbara County. She specializes in high-quality publication-worthy photography for weddings, special events, and editorials. Mirelle Carmichael Photography also offers year-round family photography and portraits throughout Southern California.