10 Tips for Including Your Ferret in Engagement Photos

Learn how to take your own ferret engagement photos with our 10 tips below!

Channing and I got engaged last July at the top of Observation Point in Zion National Forest, during our cross-country move to Lincoln, Nebraska. Voice shaking and hands fumbling, Channing knelt down beside me in front of a crowd of 30 strangers and presented a ring and a promise. He guaranteed a life full of love, laughter, and adventure. It was hands-down the most perfect proposal of all time.

A year later, we were finally ready to take our engagement photos exactly how WE always envisioned them. Our checklist was simple: beautiful sunny weather, flowers, and ferrets.

I’m absolutely thrilled with how these photos turned out and couldn’t resist sharing them with you guys.

I also want to teach you guys how to take gorgeous pictures of your own ferrets just like the ones I’ve included below. (And then I want you to submit them to our Featured Ferret Newsletter to share them with your community!).

What is the ferret feature newsletter? It’s a silly, carefree way to start your day and break up the monotony of life. You will receive adorable, hilarious ferret photos submitted by passionate community members just like you, straight to your inbox.

Here are my top 10 tips for including your ferret in your engagement photos. Feel free to leave your own photography tips in the comment section below.

Enjoy!

10 Tips for Including Your Ferret in Engagement Photos

Find Your Photographer First!

Finding a photographer that you feel confident with is your #1 priority. If you are planning on including your ferrets in your engagement photos, they need to be comfortable photographing animals.

You should ask them:

1. Are you comfortable photographing pets?
2. Can you show me some examples of pets you’ve photographed?
3. Do you feel comfortable around ferrets specifically?

I gotta be honest. We really lucked out with our photographer. Not only is he extremely talented and located within a mile of our house -he’s also my cousin! Joe and his wife, Audrey, had already spent countless hours interacting with our ferrets before we even asked them to photograph us.

Compile Inspiration and Share It with Your Photographer

When we first started brainstorming our engagement photo session, Channing and I compiled inspiration photos from Pinterest and Instagram to make a “Mood Board”. It’s important to trust that your photographer will use their own skills and artistic abilities to capture beautiful moments but a mood board can also help to give them a better idea of exactly what you have in mind.

Pick a Pet-Friendly Location

We chose a popular flower garden in our local town. It was important to us that we chose an outdoor setting. We also knew ahead of time that people regularly took their dogs there so we figured ferrets would be fine.

Clip Your Ferret’s Nails Before Your Ferret Engagement Photos

Trust me. Your arms and neck will thank you.

Recruit Help with Your Ferret Engagement Photos!

When Channing and I photograph ferrets for our annual ferret calendar, we nominate one of us to be the ferret wrangler and the other as the photographer. However, for this engagement shoot we were both in front of the camera -so we needed serious help!

Ferrets are very wiggly and curious -especially if you are taking them to a new, exciting location. To maintain control over your engagement photos with a bunch of ferrets, recruit help from your friends. Assign someone to be the official ‘ferret wrangler’ for the day. Trust me on this one.

Again, we lucked out with our cousins. While Joe photographed us, Audrey held the ferrets (and shot some amazing behind-the-scenes footage!!)

Let Your Ferrets Explore First

This is not only a big day for you, it’s a big day for your ferrets too! Take time before your photography session to let your ferrets play and explore their surroundings. This will encourage them to calm down while they photos are being taken later on.

You should also get ready to give impromptu presentations to strangers about ferrets because they will ask what the heck you’re doing and you will want to use it as an opportunity to educate people about this awesome pet!

Don’t Try Too Hard to Pose Your Ferrets During Your Engagement Photos

The best photos are authentic. The ones that aren’t overly posed. When it comes to your ferrets, let them have fun with the photo shoot. The more comfortable they feel, the better your photo session will turn out.

The best smile our photographers got out of us all day came from when we were interacting with our ferrets in an authentic, spontaneous way.

Keep Your Ferret Engagement Photo Session Short

It is so important to take frequent breaks during your engagement session. Even if your ferrets enjoy being held like ours do, they will be even more eager to explore their surroundings. Show them how much you appreciate their cooperation by letting them play in their fun, new environment!

Be aware of the temperature (they prefer under 75 degrees, and above 60). If the weather is too hot or too cold, reduce the length of your photo session. If the temperature is above 85 degrees, pick another day!

Pack Treats and Water

Ferrets are called “cat snakes” for a reason. They are notoriously wiggly! That is why we made sure to bring their favorite treats to keep them motivated.

We also packed a thermos full of water to offer to our three ferrets regularly throughout the photoshoot. We recommend offering water to your ferrets every 10-20 minutes.

Give Them a Safe Place to Rest After Your Ferret Photo Engagement Session is Over

Before and after your engagement photo session, you need to provide your ferrets with a safe place to rest. We take our ferret bubble backpack everywhere with us and so they have become accustomed to crawling into it and falling asleep.

Bonus Recommendation:

Share your photos with the world by submitting them to our ferret feature newsletter! You will be among the very first people to include ferrets in their engagement photos and you will inspire more people to follow in your footsteps.