The 8 Best Pet Photographers in Detroit

Even in the colder months, it’s rare for people not to walk their dogs in Detroit. Motor City has tons of places for people and their furry friends, be they dog park or pet-friendly restaurants and bars. Having a pet is one of the best things we can do for our mental health. No matter the pet, they’re a huge part of our family, and that’s no less true in Michigan. These incredible Detroit pet photographers excel in capturing our four-legged (or two-legged) friends in pictures we can keep for a lifetime.

1. Kat Ku Photography

When it comes to photography, Kat Ku’s imagination speaks for itself. Owing in part to a childhood that consisted of no television and many books, Kat’s imagination has always been a huge part of her. Her biggest passion is pet photography. She wants to bring about lasting memories for pet parents with beautiful images of their furry best friends. Kat is a patient and creative photographer, always able to come up with unique photoshoot ideas for her clients. As mom to two cats, Achilles and Shoko, and aunt to an adorable dachshund Bailey, she knows how important having pictures of our pets can be.

2. Christy Schulte Photography

We love Christy Schulte’s inspired pet portraits. Christy is a Detroit pet photographer who’s in love with animals and shooting in natural light. Mixing the two together makes for a dream career. Animals were always the subjects of her photographs. From the moment she got her first DSLR, she was taking pictures of her bulldog, Magoo. Magoo passed two months later, and it was those photographs that were there to comfort both her and her family from that day forth. Going on to take photography classes, she eventually opened her own photography business and now takes photos of some of Michigan’s cutest pets.

3. Jamie Kalisher of Jamie Ann Photography

Michigan lifestyle photographer Jamie Kalisher is no stranger to travel. Whatever your needs, wherever they are, she’s ready to shoot. Specializing in candid photos in natural light and settings, she works with families, couples, and pets. For any event or milestone in your pet’s life, you can turn to Jamie. As well as her photography business, she has many years experience working with kids and boasts an early childhood degree to go with it. Pets may be more unruly than children — some of the time — but her experience here helps just as much when wrangling an uncooperative puppy.

4. Mélanie Lambrechts of M’s Animals Photography

Belgian-born Mélanie Lambrechts is a Detroit pet photographer and dog-mom to Olive and Monday. She first picked up a camera seven years ago, and since then she has been chasing her dream by taking dreamy photographs. With a penchant for photographing dogs big and small, Mélanie continues to hone her skills and improve her technique, no matter how amazing the final products look. As photographers, we’re always working to improve. With her pet portraits, Mélanie wants to show their natural beauty, grace, and strength. She also wants you to know this: if there’s someone lying on the ground with a camera, it’s probably her.

5. Michelle Gerard

Michelle Gerard might just be one of our favorite Detroit portrait photographers. Period. As well as her in-depth, character-driven portraits, she’s also a freelance commercial and food photographer. But we love the portraits she’s taken of pets. Whether produced on assignment or a result of a personal call out to photograph them, her work provides one-of-a-kind insights into the individual animals. Michelle is a Professional Photographers of America (PPA) member and her work has been seen in Eater, Curbed, and Hour Media. In addition, she’s earned critical acclaim for her series, The Artist’s Diet.

6. Christine Marie of Ruff Life Photography

We’re sure you can tell from looking at her photos, but Christine Marie sincerely loves animals. As the lens behind Ruff Life Photography and an active Professional Photographers of America (PPA) and Professional Photographers of Michigan (PPM) member, she’s a passionate pet photographer who has a way with animals. Whether you’re looking for a naturally lit session with your dog at the park or a themed and costumed photoshoot for Howl-o-ween or Christmas, Christine is up for the challenge. Her pet portraits are fun and different, each standing out in her portfolio to the extent where you can really see the pets’ personalities. Based out of Troy, MI, she never says no to a location.

7. Jennifer McCallum of Pawdacious Portraits

Detroit has a boutique pet photographer in town, and her name is Jennifer McCallum. A photographer of many things — food, travel, wine — for pet portraits, she operates through her business, Pawdacious Portraits. The first photographs she ever took were of her cat, Smokey. It seems only right she’s come full circle to take pictures of other peoples’ pets. Jennifer knows how big a part of our families our pets are firsthand: she’s a pet mom to five. As well as that, she’s fostered more than 100 cats and dogs until they found their forever homes. Jennifer loves pets and feels extremely lucky to get the chance to photograph other people’s.

8. Val Weiss and Sandra Mathieu of Detroit Pet Portrait Studio

How do you feel about a photographer transforming their garage into a pet portrait studio? Wowed? Us, too. That’s exactly what Detroit pet photographers Val Weiss and Sandra Mathieu did. The pair teamed up for a new photography adventure, to document our four-legged friends in ways we can treasure forever. Their pet portraits are lit beautifully, using a selection of different backgrounds that rival any school photograph. These pictures are ones to keep forever. And while Val and Sandy can’t say that no doggy treats were harmed in the making of their sessions, they’re so stunning we don’t even care.

Whether your best friend is Fido or Felix, the Detroit metro is a great place to own pets. And with so many incredible Detroit pet photographers at its disposal, there’s ample opportunity to get photos of your pet that are so good they could be on the covers of Dogue and Catity Fair.

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