Now that Nom Nom’s Scoopable Meal Clusters are officially out in the world, we’re taking you behind the scenes of the photoshoot that helped bring the packaging to life. Back in September 2025, we set out to capture photography for both the front of the packaging and supporting marketing imagery for the launch.

And we can confidently say, a dog photoshoot brings a whole new level of excitement to set. Everyone involved was eager to meet the “models.” While there was plenty of hard work and planning behind the scenes, the day was filled with energy, personality, and of course, lots of treats. Most importantly, we captured exactly what we set out to get, that iconic, emotive moment of a dog eagerly anticipating a bowl of Nombles.

It All Started with a Concept

Like any photoshoot, the process actually began long before shoot day. Nom Nom typically uses overhead bowl photography on its packaging, putting the brand’s Vibrant Nutrition front and center. For this new range, we wanted to do something unique, creating packaging that would stand apart from the rest of the Nom Nom lineup while still feeling unmistakably like the brand.

Our non-negotiable? Emotive, excited dogs who couldn’t wait to dig into their bowl of Nom Nom.

Through the concept process, we ultimately landed on the perfect expression, a dog licking its lips in anticipation. We had our hero moment. Now, we just needed to find the dogs who could bring it to life.

Prepping for the Shoot

First up was finding the right photographer because photographing dogs is a specialty all its own. We worked with a photographer experienced in animal photography who knew how to make each dog comfortable on set, use sounds and commands to capture different expressions, and shoot quickly enough to catch those split-second moments before an expression changed. Just as importantly, they knew when a model was getting tired and needed a break to simply be a dog.

Then came casting the “talent.”

We looked at a lot of dogs. Our goal was to narrow the group down to a handful of models representing a variety of breeds, sizes, colors, and coat types. But they all needed to have one thing in common, a naturally happy, excited energy that could come through in a single photograph.

There were also some very practical packaging considerations that went into casting. Fun fact, we knew we couldn’t use dogs with tall, upright ears because there simply wasn’t enough room for them within the packaging layout. Even dog casting has to work with the dieline!

With our talent selected, we pulled everything together into a detailed shoot deck including the schedule, packaging concepts, and photography guide, so everyone knew exactly what we needed to capture.

Shoot Day

The day itself was divided into two parts: shooting the Nombles and shooting the dogs.

First up: the food.

We photographed the Scoopable Meal Clusters straight on, piled generously in the bowl with a few pieces scattered in front. This gave us the opportunity to showcase the different inclusions, textures, and unique cluster shapes while keeping the food looking abundant and appetizing.

Then it was time for the dogs.

We had six dogs shooting that day, each one a contender for a spot on the final packaging. Every dog was photographed against both flavor-colored backdrops, allowing us to see which combinations best complemented each dog’s coloring and helped them pop on pack.

We captured two key moments. First was the dogs licking their lips in anticipation and second, the dogs sitting excitedly in front of a bowl of Nombles. And the secret behind that perfect lip-licking shot? A tiny bit of peanut butter on the tip of the nose.

Each dog brought a completely different energy to set, showing off their personality and plenty of tricks along the way. Rather than forcing every dog into exactly the same pose, we worked with their individual personalities and strengths to capture moments that felt natural, joyful, and full of anticipation.

By the end of the day, we had what we came for, a hero imagery for the packaging, supporting photography for marketing, and more than a few memorable moments behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to Maple, Shadow, Billie, Trusty, Keiko, Butter, and Waffles for bringing the energy, personality, and very good dog behavior to set. We couldn’t have done it without you or the peanut butter…