Let’s start this week off with some pet photography, specifically dogs and then later in the week talk about cats.
A few things first, as always, our animals just want to make us happy. BE PATIENT. Getting upset is just going to make your project more difficult or even impossible as your pets feed into your frustration. Keep it fun and keep it patient. That stated, there are some tricks to make it easier on you.
Bribery does wonders with dogs. Treats and toys are amazing, especially if you know if your dog responds to them. A word of advice on treats though. Peanut butter is great for getting silly photos as your dog will naturally keep licking due to its texture. DON’T USE DIET PEANUT BUTTER. It contains Xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. For solid treats, which you can use to direct your dog’s viewing direction, use soft meat-based treats as hard ones crumble and leave crumbs all over.
For lighting, this was actually kind of a complicated three light setup. The key light was just above my camera with a soft box modifier reaching out on the arm of a boomstand. The two fill lights are strip boxes with grids on them. I also have a big footstool being used to get the dogs up higher.
If you need any photography work done, reach out to me. I have a few openings. Let’s talke and make it happen.