Pet Photography Blog

Dec

2025

Holiday Photo Awards 2025/Bow, NH/Concord, NH

In early November 2025, I photographed 42 dogs, 1 cat and 1 bunny at my 6th annual Holiday Pet event. This year the sessions benefited Old Dogs Go to Helen. I offered a few different sessions this year, some of them including ...

Nov

2025

Dream Photo Session-Moultonborough, NH

A Waterfall Adventure Session to RememberEvery year there are a few sessions that stay with me long after I’ve packed up my gear, and this one is definitely going on that list. Picture this: peak foliage, a mile-long hike through the ...

Nov

2025

Dream Photo Session

When the Stars Align: An Epic Session With Four Incredible DogsEvery once in a while, a session comes along that reinforces to me exactly why I love what I do. Recently, I had the chance to photograph a family's four beautifully trained ...

Nov

2025

Working with Multiple dogs in a pet photo session

Photographing one dog is always an adventure—now multiply that by two, three, or even more, and you’ve got yourself a delightful mix of wagging tails, tangled leashes, and pure canine chaos! But for me, as a pet photographer, it’s ...

Oct

2025

My Dog would never be able to do a photo session!

I recently attended several pet events and I heard the following several times over the course of these events:"My dog is just too {nervous, anxious, fearful} for a photo session"My dog would never sit still long enough for photos""My dog isn't well ...

Sep

2025

Behind the Scenes

Ever wonder what it looks like behind the scenes at a pet session? Now is your chance to see behind the curtain. It's really not all that exciting, but I'd like to give you an opportunity to see how things often look and what your resulting photos ...

Apr

2025

The love of a Dog

It's been approximately 8 months since the passing of my baby girl Birdie. It's still incredibly painful to think about. I'm sharing images of her below. I think about her daily and miss her. She was an incredible friend; sweet, intelligent, a ...

Jan

2025

Product Spotlight: Albums

Creating an Album Keepsake from your Session If you're like most people who invest in a photography session for your pet, you'll want a long lasting product that showcases your favorite memories of your special friend. One of the best ...

Dec

2024

Signature Studio Shorties

Starting in January of 2025 I will be offering monthly Signature Studio Shorty sessions. What are Signature Shorties you might be asking. So let's get into the details. Now that I have studio space available to me, I'll be offering studio ...

Dec

2024

7 Ways to Keep your Home Festive with Dog-Friendly Christmas Decorations, Treats and More

Check out the recent Rent. article I was featured in: During the holiday season, providing dog-friendly Christmas decorations in your space means balancing festive cheer with safety and comfort for your four-legged companion. Just like ...

Nov

2024

Holiday Photo Awards 2024

In early November 2024, I photographed 38 dogs at my 5th annual Holiday Pet event. This year the sessions benefited Granite State Dog Recovery. While all the pups did an amazing job posing for me, I wanted to call out just a few from ...

Nov

2024

Why Winter?

Why Schedule a Winter Session? Of course, the winter months can be cold, but they are also beautiful and unique. Here are a few reasons why you should schedule a photography session in winter. 1. Reason #1- Snow is BeautifulWhen we have ...

May

2024

Sandra McCarthy Photography has moved!

Moving! My husband and I are new residents of the community of Bow, NH, having just moved here from Litchfield NH. We moved to town just in time for the two big snow storms in March that took down the power throughout much of town. Maybe ...

Dec

2023

2023 Year in Review

This year has truly been a whirlwind of activity and goodness for my business. Here are some of the highlights. Pets of the 603I published my first book!The year began with the idea of doing a book project benefitting Mary's Dogs Rescue ...

Nov

2023

Holiday Photo Awards 2023

This year's holiday pet photo event benefitted the Greater Derry Humane Society. This is the fourth year I've been able to give back to one of my local rescues through my holiday event. I did the sessions in my home studio this year and really ...

Oct

2023

Orange you glad it's Autumn

Fall Colors Fall is such a wonderful time of year here in New England. Specifically in New Hampshire, the temperatures are cool at night and warm during the day. Kids are back in school. We have several holidays coming up (halloween, ...

Oct

2023

Hiking with Dogs in New Hampshire

Being an avid hiker myself and a dog lover, I enjoy getting my dog out in the mountains often. There are some things to consider if you are new to this activity. This blog post will offer some tips and tricks for a safe and fun hike with your dog. ...

Sep

2023

Black Dog, Black blob?

Black colored dogs can often be difficult to photograph. It's usually because the animal is so dark that our cameras have trouble focusing or getting the correct exposure. I photograph them often so I've learned a few things about what to do and ...

Aug

2023

Pets of the 603-Rescue Dogs

If you have been following along my journey this year, you know that I'm in the middle of a photography project called Pets of the 603. I teamed up with the Golden Dog Adventure Company to raise funds and create awareness of rescue dogs ...

Jul

2023

Using Elements in the environment to frame your photography subject

Utilizing objects or elements at your photo session as a "frame" can help focus attention on your subject. Whether it's a doorway, a window, two trees, table legs, flowers/plants or railings; putting your subject neatly between or underneath ...