Ahoy Fellow Borzoi! (Click to enlarge)
Last Wednesday, the 14th, we were invited to photograph the Yappy Hour Howl-o-ween Costume Contest to benefit the future Pelican Bark Park. To see more images from this event visit Sisters Pet Pics Goes to Yappy Hour. We love the people involved in this fundraising effort and the cause is past due and much needed, as there is not a fenced dog park anywhere in southern Louisiana that we know of. Please check out their blog to find ways to donate. We’re close to ground breaking…but not quite.
This fella or gal was a spectator Wednesday night. He or she has a comrade who was absent that evening and I’m sorry to say I don’t have a name to go with this handsome face. (Anyone know it? Please comment here!) Today’s topic will be about photographing in difficult situations, like crowded, low light conditions.
The usual position of a pet photographer is squatting, kneeling or sitting…on the level of your subject. However, in this crowded club venue squatting wasn’t always an option, so I looked for opportunities to…well, distort a little. I bent as low as I could without falling on the dog. I usually want eye contact. Well, this is eye contact…of sorts. Not focused on me, but eye contact nevertheless. If I had stood over the dog to get both eyes, I don’t think it would have improved interest, as I wouldn’t have accentuated the snout length as much as I wanted.
Though the Nikon D3 handles high ISOs very well, the light was so low as to make impossible the option of no-flash photography and still capture clear sharp well-lit images. Solution? For me, it’s an on camera speedlight. Lately I’ve been at several events shooting in low light situations such as this, and the diffuser has garnered more attention than my groovy camera. I use a Nikon SB800 with a 5th battery slot to improve recycling power.
The real key is the diffuser. I use a Gary Fong diffuser. He calls it a Lightsphere. It’s really cheap and really good and it throws light all around my subject. I don’t bounce the light because I don’t find it effective in these situations. I use all sides of the diffuser. This reduces red (or green) eye and still bathes the subject pretty well.
I’m not saying that I wouldn’t love to see this gorgeous guy or gal in my studio in a more controlled environment to make a dazzling portrait; I’m saying that when forced to shoot in these situations, I make adjustments and try to capture a moment. Ahoy there, Captain!
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