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Recommendations for a portrait that includes dogs ?

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Kumsa

Kumsa

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I've been requested to do a portrait that includes two medium sized dogs (they look like short haired collies). The dogs are a bit older, and not jumpy at all. I'm comfortable with the composition choices, lighting, everything -- except I've never worked with dogs.

Any experiences to share as recommendations ?
 
Have Cheerios on hand or their favorite toy so you can get them to look where you want them to. If also recommend giving them plenty of breaks in between sets of shots. Make sure they are comfortable and use excited voices when you want them to give you an engaged look. Nothing worse when photographing dogs than them being nervous or scared and pinning their ears back and showing that scared look to the camera. Once again though... Cheerios work really well and you can give them plenty as they aren't sugary or overly filling for medium to large dogs.
 
Kumsa said:
I've been requested to do a portrait that includes two medium sized dogs (they look like short haired collies). The dogs are a bit older, and not jumpy at all. I'm comfortable with the composition choices, lighting, everything -- except I've never worked with dogs.

Any experiences to share as recommendations ?
Click to expand...
Get a squeaker from a dog toy to have in your pocket or under your toe so if the dog loses interest you can get his attention and perk him up.

First you frame the set and light it. Then tell the person what to do, then you generate the behavior required of the animal , then you take the shot.

Since obviously the animal is harder to manipulate my instructions are in the order they are in for a reason. Cheers.
 
These are exactly the insights I had hoped to learn from this forum. Your guidance is warmly appreciated.
 
Nearly an hour and a half of reviewing and editing dog photos with a world-reknown dog photographer:
 
Here's the final product, thanks for all the input.

After doing a "family" portrait of the owner with the dogs, I suggested we do one of just the pair. The dogs were well behaved, and the owner was right in the line of sight of where the dogs were looking. I used one strobe with a 24x36 softbox and was on my belly. The owner was very happy.

Thanks again.



b2b8bea4c643405da8583bb78facafd4.jpg
 
Kumsa said:
I've been requested to do a portrait that includes two medium sized dogs (they look like short haired collies). The dogs are a bit older, and not jumpy at all. I'm comfortable with the composition choices, lighting, everything -- except I've never worked with dogs.

Any experiences to share as recommendations ?
Click to expand...
I would have the dogs below the human(s) on the ground. If human is sitting then the dogs lying down, if human is standing then dogs sitting.

Will they look when called? The dogs I mean, might be nice to have them all looking at the camera :-)

Mark_A
 
Mark, that's exactly what was done for the "family" portrait. We are in agreement. The client did not want her image distributed. What I can share, I did.
 
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