https://www.topbreedpetphotography.com/blog daily 0.75 2026-02-28 https://www.topbreedpetphotography.com/blog/my-dog-isnt-perfect-can-we-still-do-a-photoshoot monthly 0.5 2026-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/dbd2624f-091a-49c2-8755-f1bb79df4f1a/3+Full+Crop.JPG Blog - My Dog Doesn’t Behave Perfectly - Can We Still Do a Photoshoot? - Make it stand out The above image is one of our shelter friends! What a good boy! https://www.topbreedpetphotography.com/blog/pet-photography-in-st-louis-why-not-use-your-phone-a-photographers-take monthly 0.5 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/0944f4f0-aa02-455c-8db8-873f0f8424e2/46.JPG Blog - Pet Photography in St. Louis: Why Not Use Your Phone? A Photographer’s Take. - Make it stand out This photo is from my most recent client session. The SOOC (straight out of camera) shot was quite involved, including off-camera flash, positioning of the dog, very specific settings, and intentional use of my portable studio + accessories and more. Editing was a whole other beast! This image included backdrop clean-up, intense adjustments, forming the light, and much more. https://www.topbreedpetphotography.com/blog/golden-hour-pet-photography-in-st-louis-missouri-and-what-it-means monthly 0.5 2026-02-28 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/33b36e0a-dda1-4683-b148-815a47f6c54e/Kal4.jpg Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out The above image was captured in direct mid-day sunlight. Quite gorgeous, yes? Exactly! This article is in no way intended to dissuade clients of Top Breed Pet Photography from scheduling photoshoots during the day (or times other than “golden hour”), but rather to demonstrate how the time of day can influence the mood of a final picture. If you prefer capturing your beloved pet in the glory/intensity of full sunlight as you know they enjoy and you’d like to preserve, then perhaps such a setting is for you! That said, there exists fine reasoning behind considering golden hour as well. Let’s explore! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/9ba4ff4d-146f-4cf2-8e12-17b3aa47c7d7/1H1A1292-Edit.jpg Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out Here is an image which was taken during mid-day sun, but in the slight shadow of a tree. You can see the intense impact of the sun on background features such as the parking lot, but the tasteful shade affords us the ability to still capture a gorgeous photo! Here are a couple more pictures which demonstrate this same concept… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/98670fb8-e6e7-4d0f-8089-a5b421337d7f/Oskar24.jpg Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out This is a “Keeshond” breed of dog… absolutely eye-catching! I love how this image shows the dog near his home, going about a walk so common that his owner’s wanted to capture it and have it be preserved forever as to always keep a memory of it into the future. Notice how our fluffy friend is in shadow, letting the intense sunlight be present in the background but not disturbing his beauty? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/5b90408b-dd0a-4f6f-bcc0-f0d9d988986e/1H1A1092-Enhanced-NR-Edit.jpg Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out and finally… here is a new friend showcasing the same technique of using shadow when there is powerful natural lighting. Given all of this info, let’s now look at images which were taken during golden hour and see the differences! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/5d92f44e-8b17-40eb-8af0-a2e5a7c4dfee/Kiwi20.jpg Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out Look at that! See how the sunlight blankets the entirety of Kiwi’s surroundings and even brings out the brindle coloration in her fur? This is simply an impressive image! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/3e053f5c-decf-4ab3-ae50-31f69f716cf0/26.JPG Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/e85e70e7-ad41-4fe9-91d0-98e755ca9896/9.JPG Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/e8282907-5544-4552-a8e9-fd80fe032e9c/27.JPG Blog - “Golden Hour” Pet Photography in St. Louis, Missouri (and What it Means) - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.topbreedpetphotography.com/blog/the-best-place-in-st-louis-for-pet-photography monthly 0.5 2026-02-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/87ce47cb-5d96-428e-ad70-64c74c7aa3ee/Dog-photography-St-Louis-park.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out Welcome our lovely model for some photos in this article (her name is Kiwi)! Though we won’t disclose every single spot that I love in this park (saving some other locations for clients of Top Breed Pet Photography), we will see just how many great areas there are within the main entrance! This is impressive on its own, because it isn’t an insignificant selection (including the spot shown here)! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/9d50381c-2561-4cde-bc37-eefe033f3243/Bee-Tree-Park-Nims-Mansion.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out This gorgeous home resides near the entrance of the park (you can’t miss it). You’re welcomed to get up-close and enjoy this magnificent structure which itself warrants photos. The surrounding grounds don’t leave anything to be desired, though! Let’s investigate further… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/efbc9d94-43ec-4bb6-88e0-49ac6b706c5c/Scenic-photogenic-STL-park.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out See the rectangular gray card near the center of the above picture? Look at that as a “your dog here” sign in any photo where it is present. As is made evident by this perspective, you can perceive colorful flowers, more stone structures, a lovely view in the distance, and the beforementioned fountain! This isn’t the only composition here, of course… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/54fcbd6c-f459-4f5c-8916-a7ec8849ed0a/Nims-Mansion-Perspective.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out I am absolutely in love with these benches which surround the area! Check this view out. Imagine your dog sitting here amongst the flowers, with the lingering beauty of the mansion existing behind him/her. No worries about safety, either! This bench isn’t high off of the ground. Notice the patio area in the background? Look at this… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/4fb2fdc7-7400-4516-b91d-aecb9cbe21d3/nims-mansion-patio.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out I wasn’t lying when I said that this one spot has a lot to offer! You may even want to bring binoculars to your photoshoot because the view is breathtaking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/edaa12c8-6769-448d-ab2e-ae8936dbf682/dog-portrait-at-park.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out Here Kiwi is, taking in the sights of this awesome portion of the property! Did this composition come to your mind when you saw the gaps in this stone wall? How about shifting perspective over just a tad and moving Kiwi to the grass? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/e26ed811-854e-4d71-b70e-bc5a78834a60/dog-portrait-with-ball-outdoors.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out A ball makes for a great prop and if it squeaks, even better! It’s always important to bring toys and treats for catching your dog’s attention and rewarding for great outcomes… as well as making for natural-looking photos such as this where Kiwi was clearly just enjoying some play time! Give them some exercise and they’ll be more interested in your pictures, as they aren’t concerned with having a excessive energy. Want more of the distant background? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/b25f9750-736c-416b-bf80-a1a3040b2bad/Natural-view-long-distance.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out Here you go! This area is between the fountain and the mansion. Check out the plants, stone wall, tasteful bars, and distant view! Would you believe me if I said that there’s a secret hiding behind the bars photographed above? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/196bba4c-a5ef-4e5a-a78c-1a36946d07d0/dog-poses-saint-louis-pet-photographer.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out Talk about a hidden gem! This stone staircase and photogenic overgrowth only compliments a stunning picture. Want to know another secret? In every single picture of Kiwi, her owner is present and Kiwi is actually attached to a leash! That’s right! I photoshopped the leash and owner out for some of these pictures (and all of them featured on this page, for privacy). If your dog requires being on a leash, do not hesitate to reach out for my services! That is no problem and actually preferred. Now, let’s go around to the other side of the fountain… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/db187721-4d3b-4066-a444-e13773b1d155/stone-staircase-dog-portrait.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out Another stone staircase! This time, the stairs lead right up to a brand new perspective. It’s as if this spot was created for pet photos! Don’t just imagine your pet here… let’s make it happen! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/68327dc8da60ec01d525ef9f/4b042832-ba1a-4e7a-b5e2-1fffa7112757/STL-dog-portrait.jpg Blog - The Best Place in St. Louis for Pet Photography - Make it stand out As a bonus, here is a photo of Kiwi taken with my Canon 100-500mm lens. All the rest of these pictures have been with my Canon f1.4 50mm L lens. The 100-500mm does a wonderful job of blurring the background. Bee Tree park has great spots for me to get distance from your pet and capture images such as this one! 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