Sometimes the best product photography comes from getting out of the way and letting the animals do the talking. The Woof-It shoot was a good example of exactly that.
Beryl from Woof-It Healthy Dog Treats came to us needing product photography for a website relaunch. Woof-It makes home-baked, natural ingredient dog treats — fresh vegetables, no additives, low calorie — positioned at the premium end of a market where most competitors are playing it very safe visually. The photography needed to reflect the quality and authenticity of the product while actually showing it doing what it’s designed to do: being enthusiastically received by real dogs.
The Brief
Website hero imagery and product-in-use photography that showed genuine dog engagement with the treats — not a styled flat lay, not a staged prop shot, but real animals responding to a product they actually wanted. The intended audience was health-conscious dog owners who’d seen through the marketing gloss on supermarket treat brands and were looking for something they could trust. The photography needed to speak to that audience immediately.
The Approach
We used the treats themselves as the attention tool on set — holding them behind the camera to get natural, focused expressions and genuine anticipation from the dogs. What that produces is a very specific kind of engagement that’s impossible to fake: ears forward, eyes locked, full attention. It’s the expression every dog owner recognises and responds to.
Then we let go of the control and let the dogs respond naturally. The result was one of the most honest product-in-use images you’ll ever see — the moment the dogs realised the treats were within reach and made their move. Unplanned, unrepeatable, and completely authentic.
That’s the core principle of commercial pet photography done well. The genuine reaction is almost always better than the posed one. You have to create the conditions for it to happen and be ready when it does. Sure, it might not end up being a hero shot, but it’s a great image for social media and offers a behind-the-scenes style to any posts.
The Result
Clean product imagery for the website alongside natural, character-driven shots of dogs interacting with the treats in a way that immediately communicates the product’s appeal. Imagery that works as hard selling the brand personality as it does showing the product itself.
Woof-It is one example of our commercial pet photography work. For a full overview of our commercial services — including seasonal campaign work, packaging photography, and veterinary services imagery — visit our commercial pet photography page.
Interested in product photography for your pet business? Get in touch here or call Simon on 0450 586 561.
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We want them to remain fit and healthy so why wouldn’t you choose the finest, healthiest ingredients?
Well, this is where Beryl has come up with a really great product that is not only nutritious, but also delicious to both dogs and humans alike! Yes, some of her biggest fans happen to be human!
Made with finely chopped fresh vegetables and other yummy natural ingredients, these snacks are low calorie and are perfect for rewarding your dog at any time of day.
Now, I could tell you more about the delicious Woof-It home baked snacks, but I think one of the outtake photos from the shoot does it better than any words can.
A bag of the treats were being held behind the camera as a way to catch the dogs attention. Let’s just say, they didn’t hold their pose for long!
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