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First attempt with pet photography, C&C welcome

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NWcityguy2

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Go easy on me, because this is my first try. My Boston Terrier, Mr. Anderson, was kind enough to let my borrow some of his time for a photo shoot. I took about 30 pictures before he got bored, and these were my favorites. All pictures were done with a single monolight and a 48 inch white shoot thru umbrella.









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not bad
love the last one. my mom owned one of them and boy the gas would kill you
the last picture reminds me of her laughing after letting one go
 
Ha! My wife is going to laugh herself to death when she reads your post because ours has horrible gas also. She has tried a dozen foods and suppliments and nothing makes it any better. We always joke that Bostons are half Skunk and that is where thier markings come from.
Tom Bennett said:
not bad
love the last one. my mom owned one of them and boy the gas would
kill you
the last picture reminds me of her laughing after letting one go
Click to expand...
 
Yes mom's used to go lay by the register and wait until the air or heat came on then blast one off so she did not have to smell it She gave it every thing too and nothing helps they just are that way
 
Very very nice work. I'm not crazy about the plain white background but that's only my taste, your technical skills in getting the dog's personality across is awesome.
Thanks.
--
Regards,

'I could crawl into the body of a camera, but what I wouldn't give to crawl into the mind of an artist.'
Tom
 
Photo #1. In landscape mode, you've lost both the rear end and the feet of the dog. If you used portrait for that shot, you would have saved the feet and made a better shot. Eddy
--
My motto: Photographers should be seen and not heard.
E-510, FZ50, UZI, B-300
 
I think you did a good job!
Maybe the white parts of his fur are a bit over exposed.

Last shot is great! Agree thet the first one should have been in the portrait orientation.
 
Yeah, I wish I had got his whole body for the first picture, but he shifted it on my right before I took the picture. I ended up cropping the majority of the right side away because it was all dead space.

But anyway, thanks for the compliments everyone. I've still got 2 more dogs to photograph, so I guess you'll see Potipher and Princess in the next few days.

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I think you've confused me for someone who cares.
 
Also, if you can, get involved with your local SPCA, you would not beleive the business you can get from referrals. My son and I vol. each month, shooting images of the hard to place pets for their publications.

Also, get well known at pet charity functions etc., here's a small video from our SPCA charity walk.....

http://www.petpop.com/videos/13667PP/640/

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Regards,

'I could crawl into the body of a camera, but what I wouldn't give to crawl into the mind of an artist.'
Tom
 
For high key, it is easier to get a more balanced light with more strobes. If you don't have them, you don't have them and you do the best you can. You could have controlled blowing out the whites some with a more even light(flat lighting isn't always bad with animals)

I usually use 4 lights for high key, and as few as one for a canvas backdrop.

I like silver umbrellas for this sort of pet shoot. Gives you a more specular light.

If you are going to use one light for pet shoots with a white backdrop, I would suggest the light be more centered, vs off to the side. Again, it is a flatter lighting, but, it is ok with pets(vs people) When I do a fundraiser with many people coming through, I purposefully make the light fairly flat as I just don't have time to be fancy with it

If you would like examples of what I am talking about, I am happy to post them up. I am no lighting master though!

--
Wag More. Bark Less

http://JuliePoole.com
 
Actually that is where we got one of our dogs, and my wife has been involved ever since, I have been in Iraq for the past 15 months (got home a week and a half ago) so I was unable to do stuff like that. She helps them every Saturday with thier cat display at Petco, and when she isn't as busy with school she'll work as an assistant when they spay and neuter the new commers. I didn't draw the connection with photography until you mentioned it, but I will definatly look into it. I don't know if I am ready for the business side of it yet, but it would be fun to help them out. Thanks, and the video looks great BTW.
dwdmguy said:
Also, if you can, get involved with your local SPCA, you would not
beleive the business you can get from referrals. My son and I vol.
each month, shooting images of the hard to place pets for their
publications.

Also, get well known at pet charity functions etc., here's a small
video from our SPCA charity walk.....

http://www.petpop.com/videos/13667PP/640/

--
Regards,

'I could crawl into the body of a camera, but what I wouldn't give to
crawl into the mind of an artist.'
Tom
Click to expand...
--



Yawn...
 
Thank you, you have no idea how much you have help me. I originally was using both my lights, both off centered, but ended up switching one off because I was getting strange catchlights in his eyes. Where they are so wide on his head, each eye wash picking up a different light. It was making him even more buggy eyed than he already is. Here is an example...



For my next shoot, I will try the straight on light, with my other as a back light. I also own a silver umbrella so I'll give that a try as well.
llpoolej said:
For high key, it is easier to get a more balanced light with more
strobes. If you don't have them, you don't have them and you do the
best you can. You could have controlled blowing out the whites some
with a more even light(flat lighting isn't always bad with animals)

I usually use 4 lights for high key, and as few as one for a canvas
backdrop.

I like silver umbrellas for this sort of pet shoot. Gives you a more
specular light.

If you are going to use one light for pet shoots with a white
backdrop, I would suggest the light be more centered, vs off to the
side. Again, it is a flatter lighting, but, it is ok with pets(vs
people) When I do a fundraiser with many people coming through, I
purposefully make the light fairly flat as I just don't have time to
be fancy with it

If you would like examples of what I am talking about, I am happy to
post them up. I am no lighting master though!

--
Wag More. Bark Less

http://JuliePoole.com
Click to expand...
--



Yawn...
 
Your welcome and thank you.

It's funny how things work out. I run a Pet sitting business http://www.yourpetisloved.com and when I'm sitting or walking a dog I will shoot them, make a print and I can't tell you how many times that has lead to lifestyle jobs for me from the pet owners.

I dig animals..... (People, I'm not too sure about)

What were you doing in Iraq if I may?

Tom

--
Regards,

'I could crawl into the body of a camera, but what I wouldn't give to crawl into the mind of an artist.'
Tom
 
dwdmguy said:
What were you doing in Iraq if I may?

Tom
Click to expand...
That is a questioned I asked myself at times, "What am I doing here?"...

But seriously though, I am in the Army and was doing my deployment rotation same as everyone else. I'm in EOD, so I was mainly dealing with IED's and explosives. I've got some of my pictures at my pbase gallery if you want to see them.

http://www.pbase.com/adam_and_misti/my_tour

--



Yawn...
 
I like the lighting in this image a little better. It is a hair underexposed, but, just watch your histogram in camera. You can edit out funny catchlights easier than blown highlights and uneven lighting(which is different from sculpted lighting)

Anyhow, good first tries!! It is a trial and error process
--
Wag More. Bark Less

http://JuliePoole.com
 
Small world. I was Navy, UDT, team six.

THank you very much for your service. If we didn't have you we'd all be in deep KimShi.
Best,
Tom

--
Regards,

'I could crawl into the body of a camera, but what I wouldn't give to crawl into the mind of an artist.'
Tom
 
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