LOVE AND LEGACY

Pet Portraits

Fine Art Pet Portrait Photography in St. Louis

Classic, hand-colored portraits of your beloved companions

Fine art pet portrait of a sweet french bulldog. The portrait is a hand colored family heirloom created to stand the test of time by St. Louis based portrait photographer, Shana Watkins.

Hand finished pet portrait of a golden retriever. The dog is looking at the camera with their tongue hanging out. Photographed by Shana Watkins, St. Louis portrait artist.

Because This Season Matters, Too

We photograph the milestones, the birthdays and the people we love as they grow. But sometimes we forget to preserve the ones who are quietly beside us through all of it.

Love & Legacy Pet Portraits are a way to celebrate your beloved companion in this season, just as they are today, and create something tangible that will only become more meaningful with time.

Gold framed fine art pet portrait of a grey poodle wearing a light blue bow around their neck. Photo by Shana Watkins Photography.

PART OF YOUR STORY

Imagine looking at this portrait years from now and being taken right back to the days when they were always by your side

Fine art heirloom portrait of a beautiful golden retriever dog. Photo by Shana Watkins Photography.

They greet us at the door, curl up beside us at the end of the day, and quietly become part of the rhythm of home.

This one-of-a-kind pet portrait art celebrates the companions who hold such a special place in our families, preserving their unique personalities in timeless, hand-colored artwork created to last for generations.

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1 Creating Your Pet Portrait

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Hand colored heirloom portrait of a grey poodle wearing a light blue bow around it's neck. Photo by Shana Watkins Photography.

Shana will walk you through what to expect and learn more about your pet’s personality and temperament so the portrait session feels relaxed and comfortable.

Your pet portrait photography session takes place in Shana's St. Louis studio, where every detail is designed to keep the experience comfortable and unhurried. There’s no expectation for your pet to sit perfectly still. With more than 25 years of experience behind the camera, Shana knows how to keep the session relaxed, allowing your pet’s personality to shine through and creating a portrait that feels unmistakably them.

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Hand colored heirloom pet portrait of a sweet french bulldog wearing a pink bow around their neck. Photo by Shana Watkins Photography.

Shana meets with each client in the studio to view a projected slideshow of the portraits from the session. Together, you’ll choose the image that best captures your pet and will become the reference for the finished portrait. Using virtual design software, you’ll also see your portrait on your own walls in different sizes and both oval and rectangular frames, making it easy to envision the finished artwork in your home.

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An oval gold framed heirloom portrait of a beautiful golden retriever. Photo by pet portrait artist, Shana Watkins.

Clients are invited back to the studio to see their finished portrait for the first time, or they may choose to have their portrait delivered. There is something so special about finally seeing the hand-colored artwork complete and ready to find its place in your home.

Behind the Scenes

FINISHED PORTRAIT

REFERENCE PHOTO

The beauty of a Love & Legacy pet portrait is in its simplicity. Without busy backgrounds or distracting details, the focus remains exactly where it belongs—on your pet and the personality that makes them so uniquely yours.

Every portrait begins with a carefully created pet portrait photograph. That photograph becomes the foundation for the finished artwork. Each piece is individually hand-colored, created using museum-quality materials, and finished with a beautiful custom frame. Hand gilded and aged by artisans using techniques that have been passed down for generations, the frames are available in silver or gold leaf and in both oval and square-corner styles.

These portraits are created to be treasured now and to grow even more meaningful with time—a beautiful reminder of the years your beloved companion was woven into the everyday story of your family. To give each step in the process the care it deserves, please allow up to four months for completion.

Shana Watkins preparing fine art portrait for framing during client consultation in St. Louis heirloom photography studio.

Investment

To begin the process, the initial session fee is $325, and finished artwork is priced separately. Our fine art, hand-colored and painted portraits start at $2800 for a 16x20 inch portrait and $3200 for a 20x24 inch portrait. We also offer custom framing with both oval and rectangular frames.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Your pet does not need to sit perfectly still or look at the camera on command.
Sessions are intentionally relaxed, and I work quickly to capture the expressions we need without expecting your pet to suddenly develop impeccable manners for picture day. Sometimes a little curiosity, and a few well-timed treats, is exactly what we need.
My goal is to capture the personality you recognize every day, not turn your pet into something they're not.
Absolutely. While most of the portraits I have created so far have been of dogs, the experience isn't limited to them.
If there is a beloved pet who has become part of your family's story, I would be happy to talk with you about creating a portrait. Every animal is a little different, so we'll consider temperament, comfort and what will allow me to create the most beautiful portrait possible.
After all, Love & Legacy Pets was created to celebrate the companions who make their way into our families — paws, whiskers and all.
There really isn’t a wrong time. These portraits are about preserving your pet just as they are in this season—the personality you know by heart and the little details that make them unmistakably yours. We’re often waiting for a milestone to give us a reason to create a portrait, but sometimes the ordinary days we’re living right now are the ones we’ll treasure most.
Love & Legacy pet portrait sessions are photographed in my St. Louis photography studio, where I can create the simple, timeless setting these portraits are known for. Clients come from throughout the St. Louis area and beyond to create custom portraits of the pets who have become such an important part of their family's story.

WHAT CLIENTS ARE SAYING

Testimonials

Ashley Obradovits

I dreamed of having a portrait like this done as soon as I became a mom 💕 Shana made my dreams come true! From the initial meeting till the final product reveal, it was an amazing experience and my daughter Piper will remember it forever. I told my husband we needed to move so I had a proper foyer for it 🙃

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Megan Ellis Bicklein

Working with Shana has been a dream come true! We worked with Shana for my daughter’s 2-year heirloom portraits in St. Louis, and the entire experience from start to finish was seamless and luxurious- everything I could have asked for and more! Not only was she amazing and patient with our daughter (she’s a busy bee) but she captured more amazing photos of her in 30 minutes than I have in her entire life. Her in-person photo choosing session really added a layer of specialness and luxury, but as you can imagine- it was almost impossible to choose a favorite! We’re having our daughter’s heirloom photo created into one of her mixed media Love and Legacy portraits, and I couldn’t be more excited. Counting down the days until it’s In our home, and until then- recommending Shana to everyone I know!

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Kayla Nahorski

I reached out to Shana about helping me create an Heirloom Portrait of my daughter. This wasn't just a photo - it was a tradition that I wanted to carry on. My mom, my sister, and myself all have a photo around the same age, wearing the same dress, and in the same chair. I really wanted to continue the tradition with my daughter, but was struggling to find someone who could match the style of these portraits from 30 years ago. Enter Shana. She was the most amazing, accommodating, compassionate, kind human being. She not only worked wonders with my daughter the day of the shoot - making it fun, relaxed, and getting her personality to shine, but afterwards, she worked so hard with me to make sure that we got the look I wanted and the end result is something that myself and my mom will cherish forever. If you are thinking about it, DO IT!!! You can thank me later ;)

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Julie Greene

Shana has been our family photographer for over 16 years and we couldn't be more happy. From newborn pics, family pics, milestone year pics and even pet pics - she's simply the best! We've also had pics in her studios and at landmark STL locations. Her pictures are timeless pieces of art that fill our home and we couldn't be happier. On top of everything, she is a wonderful person who is great to work with and contributes back to the community. We look forward to future sessions and would highly recommend to all! Thanks Shana!!!

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Victoria Dysarz

Shana Watkins Photography first caught my attention when I was pregnant nine years ago with beautiful maternity images. Nine years and four children later she is our go to photographer for newborn and infant sessions. She captures exactly what I see when I look at my children and family. Even during sessions where my children run wild and crazy Shana captures their unique spirit and expressions perfectly. Her images are ones you will look at and remember wonderful moments with your loved ones. Every time we sit down to review our photographs from a session I tear up; each image is beautiful. The hardest part is choosing your favorites (or just take them all instead)! She is very talented. I am so glad to have met her and shared our family for the last nine years and more to come.

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Heather Lea

Moments turned into magic; Shana makes sure that our family’s moments in time turn into beautiful memories captured with her perfect eye, hanging on our wall. We are so grateful.

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