Charles The Chihuahua Beagle Mix (Click to enlarge)
Digital Painting of Charles (Click to enlarge)
I’m aware that the trend in pet photography is more journalistic in style. When dogs are free to roam and play at their homes, or in the parks, they exude joy. Those are moments that family members wish to document and save, for sure. In the studio it may be a little more difficult to engage them in a playful manner in the particular spot in front of the equipment, but it is certainly possible. Pet photography can take many directions, all of them interesting.
This is Charles. His formal portrait was a present from his human mom to his dad. Though it’s not the animated, cracked mouth, smiley face that his dad may love, it shows that Chihuahua intensity that I see so often in the studio. When I see the tight lipped, concentrated stare I feel as if I’m gaining access to a side of the animal that is not often seen, yet is the essence of his being.
If you are shooting a pet that you live with, you have many options, as your documentation doesn’t have to happen in a day or an hour. You are at liberty to tell your story over the course of a lifetime. I am sharing what I know about photographing pets so that you may have all of these moments in your library. If you are an aspiring pet photographer or are currently working as one, you’ll want to provide what your client seems to want. However, it is your job to show them what is possible as well.
In the digital painting on the right, I chose to use that intensity to show a softer vulnerable side, that I believe is Charles’ story.
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