Why I Offer Rainbow Sessions for Pets in Their Final Days

This is a difficult post to write, but it's an important one.

I'm Angelina, the photographer behind Dappled Plum Photography. I run a small studio in Kent, WA, and I photograph families, pets, and people across the Puget Sound. Among the services I offer, there is one that lives a little apart from the rest. It's called a Rainbow Session, and it's for pets in their final days.

If you've found this page because the time is near for someone you love, I am so sorry. I hope what follows is helpful.

What a Rainbow Session is

A Rainbow Session is gentle, in-home (or, when possible, at a place that meant something to your pet) photography for a beloved animal in the last chapter of their life. It's about creating images you can hold onto when they're no longer with you, pictures that capture who they were, not just how they looked.

These sessions move at your pet's pace, not mine. We sit on the floor with them. We follow their lead. If they're tired, we let them rest. If they want to sit in your lap or on their favorite blanket, that's where the photos happen.

The goal isn't a perfect portrait. The goal is a real one — your pet curled up in the spot they always picked, the way their nose crinkles when you scratch behind their ears, the look they give you that you'd recognize anywhere.

Why I started offering this

The first Rainbow Session I did wasn't planned. A client came to me — someone whose dog was running out of time — and asked if I would photograph them at home, while there was still time. I said yes, of course. I went to their house, sat on the floor, took photos as quietly as I could, and tried to capture the love in that room.

That's when I realized the need was bigger than I'd understood. Most pet photography is for the bright, happy days. There wasn't much for the days at the other end. The days that, for any of us who have loved an animal, are the ones where we'd give anything to have one more photo.

So, I made it a service. I priced it modestly on purpose, as these sessions exist because they should exist, not because they're a profit center. I keep the door open year-round, because people don't get to schedule when this happens.

How a Rainbow Session works

The process is intentionally simple, because you have enough on your plate already.

Reach out when you're ready. You can send me a message or call. Tell me your pet's name, what's happening, and where you'd like to do the session. I'll respond as quickly as I can.

We pick a time and a place. Most Rainbow Sessions happen in the home, where your pet is most comfortable. Some happen at a meaningful spot, a favorite park, a beach where they used to chase the waves, the trail they walked every day. Wherever your pet is most at peace, we go there.

The session is gentle and unhurried. I plan for about an hour, but the truth is the session takes whatever time your pet has the energy for. If twenty minutes is what they have in them, we work in twenty minutes and we make it count. If they want to nap halfway through, we wait. There is no rush.

Family is welcome. If you want photos of you with your pet, I'll take them. If your kids want to hold them, snuggle them, lie next to them on the floor — yes. If you'd rather it just be your pet, that's also fine. Whatever feels right.

You'll receive a generous gallery. I deliver more photos for these sessions than for any of my other work — typically 15 or more polished, fully edited images, sometimes more depending on what the session gives us. I want you to have keepsakes, plural. Not one image to choose from, but a small collection that captures who they were.

Turnaround is faster. I prioritize Rainbow Session edits and deliver the gallery as quickly as I can — often within a few days. I know how much it matters to have these photos sooner rather than later.

What it costs

A Rainbow Session is $100. That's a fraction of what my other sessions cost, and that's intentional. I want the cost to be the smallest part of the decision you're making.

The session fee covers the photography, the travel within the broader Puget Sound area (Kent, Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and surrounding cities), the editing of every image individually, and the delivery of your gallery on Pixieset. There are no hidden fees, no upsells, no add-on packages waiting at the end.

If you'd like printed copies of any of the images afterward, I can help with that, but it's optional, and the digital files are yours to print however and wherever you choose.

A few honest things

The photos won't be perfect, and they don't need to be. Sometimes pets in their final days don't look the way they did in their best years. They may be thin, or moving slowly, or unable to hold their head up. That's okay. The photos still capture them. Years from now, when you look back, you won't notice the things that worried you that day. You'll notice the things you loved.

You don't need to "prepare." Don't bathe them if it'll stress them out. Don't change their bedding to something photogenic. Don't worry about your house being tidy. The home I'll see is the one your pet has been living in, and that's the one that matters.

You can cry, and I might too. I've sat with a lot of these families. The tears are part of it. Don't apologize, don't hold them back, don't worry about whether the photos will show it. They won't, unless you want them to.

It's okay to not do this. Some families know they want this and reach out as soon as they hear it exists. Others are unsure, and decide later they're glad they did. A few decide it's not for them, and that's also right. Whatever you decide is the right answer for your family.

When to reach out

The hardest thing about Rainbow Sessions is the timing. People often wait, hoping for more time, and sometimes the window closes faster than anyone expected.

If your pet has been given a prognosis, or if you've noticed they're slowing down in ways that feel like the beginning of the end, that's the time to reach out — not because I want to rush you, but because the earlier we book, the more options we have. A pet who has a few weeks left will photograph differently than one who has a few days. Both sessions are meaningful. The earlier one usually has more of them in the photos.

I will always do my best to fit a Rainbow Session into my schedule on short notice. If you call and the timing is urgent, tell me, and I will move things around.

For pets we've already lost

If your pet has already passed and you have photos you'd like restored, retouched, or printed beautifully, please reach out. I sometimes work with families to make memorial pieces from existing images; high-quality prints, framed pieces, or a small album. It's not a Rainbow Session in the traditional sense, but it can offer something similar.

A final note

I've thought a lot about whether to write this post at all. Photographers don't usually advertise this kind of service openly — it can feel uncomfortable, like profiting from grief. The reason I decided to write it is simpler: the people who need this don't know it exists until they're already searching for it, and the search is hard enough without having to find someone who specializes in this.

If you're reading this because you're in that moment right now, I'm holding your hand from here. Reach out when you're ready.

Angelina

Dappled Plum Photography