Shaggy Dog Studio · La Crosse
Your dog, shot like a cover story.
Light we build. A dark backdrop. The face that meets you at the door. Cats too.
Dogs & cats
You have four thousand photos of your dog. None like these.
Light, patience, a pocket of treats. The dog does the rest.
01 · Ted
Personality, on purpose.
Hat, sunglasses, goggles. If your dog will wear it, we’ll light it.
02 · Tucker & Lou
Two dogs. One frame.
Both of them looking at the camera, at the same time. That part is our job.
03 · Heathrow
Sit. Stay. Lit.
A chair, a dark backdrop and one clean light. The dog is the whole picture.
04 · Bob
The good sofa.
Red velvet, and a dog who knows exactly whose it is.
05 · Harvey, after sunset
Or outside, after sunset.
We carry the light outdoors too. The sky goes blue and your dog is the brightest thing in it.
06 · Florence, Italy
We can’t walk past a good dog.
Not even on vacation. A Dalmatian and a stone wall in Florence.
Next issue: your dog.
How it works
A call. A session. The artwork.
We talk about your dog first. The session runs about an hour to an hour and a half, starting with time to settle in. Then you see the portraits large, in person, and we design the wall art with you.
We’re not for everyone
Here’s the deal. We’re not for:
The phone photo at the dog park, again.
Twenty minutes at a holiday backdrop, one pose.
No props they hate. No next-dog line. No bullshit.
Your session
Bring the dog. We’ll bring the light.
Your dog, shot like a cover story.
You have four thousand photos of your dog. None like these.
Shaggy Dog Studio is where we point the lights at dogs. Same two people, same light we build for every portrait, aimed at the one subject in the house who has never cared about a camera. Cats too, if they’ll let us.
Personality, on purpose.
Ted wore a fedora, sunglasses and a pair of goggles. He owned every one of them.
Props are optional. Personality is not. We build the light around the dog in front of us, and some dogs want a costume change.
Two dogs. One frame.
Tucker and Lou, side by side, both looking at the lens in the same half second.
Two dogs is not twice the work. It is patience, a second pair of hands, and treats in the right pocket. You get both of us at every session for exactly this.
Sit. Stay. Lit.
Heathrow on one wooden chair, nothing else in the frame.
The simplest setup we own. Light carves the coat out of the dark and every curl reads.
The good sofa.
Bob, stretched out on red velvet like it was bought for him.
Some dogs sit for a portrait. Some hold court. We pose both, and the pose never looks forced.
Or outside, after sunset.
Harvey, in the blue after sunset, with bare trees behind him and a light we carried out there ourselves.
Available light and hope is not a plan, indoors or out. We build the light, so the sky stays deep blue and your dog is the brightest thing in the frame.
We can’t walk past a good dog.
A Dalmatian and a stone wall in Florence, Italy, on a trip that had nothing to do with dogs.
We could not help it.
Next issue: your dog.
Every dog on this page was lit the way we’d light a cover. A dark backdrop, light we build, and a dog allowed some attitude. The next one is yours.
Check availability →A call. A session. The artwork.
A short call on Zoom or FaceTime. We talk about your dog: the treat that works, the sound that gets the ears up.
The first stretch belongs to your dog: sniffing the studio, meeting the lights. Then we work.
You see the portraits large, in person, and we design the wall art with you in the room.
Here’s the deal. We’re not for:
The phone photo at the dog park, again.
Twenty minutes at a holiday backdrop, one pose.
No props they hate. No next-dog line. No bullshit.
Asked before every pet session
Do you photograph cats?
Yes. The same light, the same patience, and far less interest in the treats.
What if my dog won’t sit still?
Most don’t, at first. We give them time with the room and the lights before we start. Bring the treat they would do anything for.
How long is a session?
About an hour to an hour and a half, settling-in time included.
Can we photograph more than one pet?
Yes. Two dogs in one frame is a normal day for us. Tell us who is coming when you reach out.
When do we see the photographs?
Editing takes about two to three weeks. Wall art and albums take about six to eight weeks from design to your door.
Bring the dog. We’ll bring the light.
Top 10 Photographer in the World · Three consecutive years