Commercial Pet Photographer Holly Hildreth tackles Doctor Paws’ Super Chews

Commercial Pet Product Photography: Doctor Paws Super Chews

When Doctor Paws was looking to update their branding and pet product photos, they approached me to create imagery for their new pet Super Chew. The goal was clear: high-impact commercial pet photography that could work seamlessly across advertising, e‑commerce, website, and social media. This project is a great example of how intentional, professionally produced pet product photography can elevate a brand and directly support your marketing efforts.

As a commercial pet photographer based in Columbus, Ohio, I work with pet brands, ad agencies, art directors, art buyers, and marketing teams looking for commercial-use animal images that are not just eye catching—but strategic, polished, and brand-aligned.

The Client: Doctor Paws

Professional pet product photography made a big difference in elevating Doctor Paws’ e-commerce experience by clearly showing all important facets of the packing including ingredients list and nutrition information, as well as some sleek general packaging shots

Doctor Paws is a pet wellness brand focused on functional chews designed to support dogs’ health. Like many modern pet product companies, they needed a versatile image library that could be used across multiple platforms including:

• Website and e‑commerce pet product listings

• Social media and paid ads

• Retail and wholesale marketing materials

This meant creating visuals that felt trustworthy, premium, and emotionally engaging, while still clearly showcasing the product as the hero. Because we needed such a wide variety of end-uses, we captured several models on location in a home, outdoors, and also in the studio.

Mixing both lifestyle, product-in-use shots, and traditional product photography in the studio gave us a variety of looks that all help convey the brand’s message while making the product feel approachable.

The Creative Goal

For this commercial animal photography shoot, the priority was to:

• Highlight the wellness chew in a clean, marketable way

• Show dogs interacting naturally with people and the product

• Create images that felt authentic—not staged or gimmicky

• Deliver assets that could be cropped, repurposed, and scaled across campaigns and platforms

Planning a Commercial Pet Photography Shoot

Successful commercial dog photography starts long before the camera even comes out. For the Doctor Paws shoot, pre‑production included:

• A Creative Brief setting the tone and style for the imagery

• Tailored shot list and style guide

• Consideration of layout for negative space for text overlays

• Location and model selection

• Model abilities (which is important, as we had a few complicated ‘tricks’ we needed our dog models to perform).

On Set: Photographing Pets for Advertising

Working with animal talent requires experience, patience, and an understanding of dog behavior. In commercial animal photography, there is no room for stress—for the animals, human models, or the crew.

During this shoot, the focus was on:

• Keeping dogs relaxed and engaged

• Capturing real expressions and interactions

• Maintaining efficiency so we could maximize usable final images

This approach resulted in imagery that feels genuine—something today’s consumers immediately recognize and respond to and that resonate way more than the generic AI slop that competitors like to use. By shooting not only the product-focused images that are expected for e-commerce situations, we also captured some lifestyle images portraying happy pets and their family which could easily be used for any situation. For social media managers, art directors, and photo buyers, this kind of versatility is key. One well‑executed commercial pet photography shoot can support months—or even years—of marketing.

Why Professional Commercial Pet Photography Matters

In a crowded pet industry, photos are often the first impression a customer has of your pet brand. Professional pet product photography:

• Builds trust with consumers

• Elevates perceived product value

• Creates consistency across platforms

• Saves time and money long‑term

Stock photos and DIY imagery rarely deliver the same impact as custom commercial animal photography tailored specifically to your product and audience.

Whether you need imagery for advertising campaigns, e‑commerce listings, or social media, I provide end‑to‑end commercial pet photography services—from concept through final delivery.

Although I’m based in Columbus, Ohio, I work with clients from across the globe to make their pet product branding come to life.

Looking for a Commercial Animal Photographer?

If you’re a pet business owner, marketing manager, or ad agency looking to invest in high‑quality commercial animal photography, I’d love to talk.

Let’s create some gorgeous images that work as hard as you do.

Commercial Dog Photography: Seventh Son Brewing Cans

Rescue Dogs, Craft Beer, and Stunning Photography: A Paw-sitively Awesome Collaboration with Seventh Son Brewing and RESCUEDohio

The new cans of Seventh Son Brewing's “Rescued” beer have officially dropped—and they look absolutely incredible! This project was a true labor of love, combining craft beer, pet rescue advocacy, and high-end commercial pet photography into one amazing finished product.

I'm honored to have been part of this fun and meaningful collaboration between RESCUEDohio and Seventh Son Brewing, where every detail—from concept to can—was crafted with purpose.

As a Commercial Pet Photographer based in Columbus, Ohio, I was thrilled to lend my lens to this fundraising campaign benefitting such a wonderful local dog charity.

In order to select which 3 dogs would be my models for the beer cans, we held a contest to decide. With the Columbus dog community’s support, the campaign raised over $14,000 for RESCUEDohio—money that directly impacts the lives of homeless pets across Ohio and Kentucky. These funds will go to helping RESCUEDohio to help provide medical care, transportation, supplies, and adoption services for homeless pups.

Once we decided our doggy models, I photographed each one individually on complimenting colors. For last year’s cans we went with the strong primary colors of red, yellow, and blue, so this year we wanted to do something different, while still feeling cohesive color-wise, so I decided to go with teal, purple, and blue.

Once the labels were designed and printed on the cans, the next step was to photograph the cans themselves! We used these images to help promote the product which in turn made this campaign even more successful.

Seventh Son also hosted a beer release party just for these special cans, complete with drinks, music, food trucks, and of course adoptable dogs from RESCUEDohio. As an added bonus some of the pups from the event ended up finding their new homes! A big win-win for everyone.

These cans were such a hit, and supplies are limited, so be sure to visit Seventh Son brewing to pick up your 6-pack before they’re sold out. They’re going to go quick, so don’t wait!

Why Pet-Centric Brands and Creative Agencies Love Working with Me

Whether you’re an art director looking to build a bold campaign or a pet brand in search of scroll-stopping images, this project is a shining example of how eye-catching commercial pet photography can elevate your message.

My goal with every commercial shoot is to create emotion-driven, high-impact imagery that not only aligns with your brand but gets people talking (and sharing!).

What Sets My Commercial Pet Photography Apart?

• Experienced Animal Handling – I’ve been photographing dogs for 15 years. I work with dogs of all ages, sizes, temperaments, abilities, and training levels. From studio setups to on-location shoots, I know how to get the best out of every dog.

• Creative Direction for Animal-Centric Campaigns – Need help visualizing how pets can fit into your product or brand story? I’ll help concept, style, and execute.

• High-End Visuals with Heart – Every photo is polished, professional, and full of soul. Your audience won’t just see your message—they’ll feel it.

• Trusted by Top Brands – From Columbus dog-friendly breweries to global pet brands, countless brands have trusted me to deliver photos that connect and delight.

Let’s Create Something Unforgettable Together

If you’re a creative agency, art director, or pet-centric business looking to collaborate on your next campaign, I’d love to talk. Whether you're launching a new product, refreshing your brand, or supporting a cause close to your heart, I’m here to make the animals (and your vision) shine.