Family portraiture

I recently had the opportunity to photograph a family of four. A rather sophisticated gentleman, an exuberant lady and two little ones, both girls. A wonderful portrait opportunity!

The Lechner dog family!

Every time I show this picture I am asked - how did you get them to sit still? Did you glue them down? Of course not!!! I worked with these dogs for about 2 hours and there was a constant change of the primary subjects. I created beautiful portraits of the individual dogs but also many funny group shots. As you can see, the dogs were very cooperative!
My recipe is to work with the dogs and not to expect of them to work with me. Then things seem to fall in place. If the dogs are calmer in demeanour it usually is easier to achieve but usually most dogs at one stage seem to just be natural models.

Fany - my secret favourite!

Spike - only adopted the day before the shoot!

Bambi - the big baby

Paula - the boss!

Working with four dogs at the same time gave me the opportunity to create many different images. An ideal situation for creating an album or wall display. The individual portraits are wonderful in full colour or monochrome and I think Sabine found it hard to choose.

Three dogs comfortable with each other

Capture the moment!

I wonder what he is telling her!

If you want to have an offer for a photo shoot of your family - let us know! Fun families like this one will always get preferential treatment!

Indoor - outdoor shots

When you photograph your dog indoors and outdoors, there are different challenges.

For indoors you need to be concerned about lighting. Ideally you have at least two light sources of which one can be natural light - the light coming in from your windows. Avoid direct sunlight that creates too many shadows. Add a secondary light from your flash, ideally removed from your camera so that you can avoid the dreaded glare in the eyes.

If you have a skylight, the natural light may be enough and create a beautiful atmosphere.

Outdoors very different challenges arise. It may be either too bright, creating harsh lighting:

Or it may be too dark so you have to use a high ISO, leading to increased grain in the images. If you want to catch action, you also need to use a fast shutter speed to keep it all in focus. In this following example the 1/320 sec was not fast enough:

Of course, there is also more distraction for the dog, the dog moves around more, you need to keep your camera gear safe of water, other dogs and flying dirt. Don't give up and shoot lots, using the continuous shutter if possible.

Try and catch the action! In this case I used the flash that helped freeze the motion. Look for the treat. I wonder if he is going to catch it!

Get out there with your dog and your camera and enjoy this time together!

To book a pet portrait session with PPP-Photography, contact us today.

Photographing a puppy - the challenges

Puppies are cute - there is no doubt about it!

Photographing them can be a challenge. Puppies tend to move around a lot and are less likely to follow commands. On the bright side, a lot of play leads to a tired and even cuter puppy.

Follow a couple of tricks to achieve good images:

Try and confine your puppy to one area of your home. The less it can move around, the less you'll be chasing him with your camera and lighting gear.

Shoot lots!!! If your camera has a continuous shooting button - use it. As your puppy moves around it is sometimes hard to get the one good shot. By increasing your shooting rate you are more likely to take home a winner!

Try and create even lighting: as your dog moves around the area, try and have it lit evenly by using a diffuser, ideally an umbrella. Better even - two lights!

Give your puppy a toy to occupy himself. A good toy like this treat filled Kong can focus your puppy in one location, allowing you to get a good angle.

Try and avoid busy backgrounds - not always possible as seen here but less is more!

And after a busy session of close up photography, move away a little and let your puppy play. Now you can get beautiful candid shots.

Most importantly - make sure it is fun for you and your puppy!

Enjoy the action and pass on the tips!

Are there tricks in pet photography?

From my pet-photography-tool-box!

I have been asked to write about tricks in pet photography so I will write a few posts on this topic over the next month and back them up with images. Please don't hesitate to add your comments and raise questions and I will do my best to answer them.

I want to start with the easier scenario - photographing your dog indoors. Your pet has less room to roam and run away from you or simply run around like crazy. You will find many opportunities in your home. Capture your pet on his or her bed or a favourite sunny spot. If your dog is permitted on furniture, you can set up lovely images on the couch, bed or other favourite furniture. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Go down - lower yourself to be on the same level as your pet. You may even try to go lower and shoot upwards.

Too many distracting items on around Belgian Shepherd Kaela

Clean composition - try and get your pet in a clutter-free environment.

Too many items around your pet are only distracting from your main subject as shown in this image to the right.

Don't be afraid to use the crop tool afterwards and you can improve many images and give them more focus.

An engaging portrait of Belgian Shepherd Kaela

In this image, despite the less than ideal background, Kaela is the clear subject of the image. The image is filled with her portrait, it is engaging and there is good eye contact.

Don't be afraid to get close!

The dreaded glary eyes! 

Lighting - if you are lucky you can work with natural light coming through the window or a skylight. Avoid a light that is too harsh but natural light can work really nicely. If it is too dark, you will need to use a flash. A point and shoot camera usually has a weak flash - so move close to your subject. Avoid the dreaded glare in the eyes by shooting your pet from the side or in profile. Or deal with it later on the computer. The image to the right shows the effect, apart from other compositional issues and a less than flattering pose of my dog Sidney!

If you have an SLR and you are able to remove your flash from the camera it is going to have the best results. Position your flash at about 45 degrees, ideally bounce the light from the ceiling or a white wall onto your pet or use a reflector for the flash of your camera.

In this lovely image of Irish Terrier Tony I used natural light on the stairs coming from a sky light. I think the soft light and the shadows work really nicely in this image and the small depth of field provides this image with a lot of atmosphere.

Most importantly, make sure you and your dog are having fun when you photograph your animal and it will show!