Brooke The Maltese Puppy (Click to enlarge)

Nope, not Christmas, it’s a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.  You met this little Maltese sweetie in Who’s Your Daddy with her Doberman house brother, Buc, but here she is all by herself.  This is another example of using a prop, in this case cheerleader pom poms, to confine your subject.  Obviously the paper can’t hold her when she wants to leave, but she’s not quite sure she can move around freely yet.  Take advantage of those few minutes as she figures it out.

You can also have your assistant slip a hand under the boa, cloth or paper and actually rest a hand on the subject.  It serves two purposes.  One, they feel more secure, and two it’s further proof to them that they cannot move.  It gives you a few more minutes to get the shot you’re looking for.

We are still recovering from our weekend of events.  Pet Fest 2009, on Sunday, was absolutely wonderful.  If you were there leave a comment.  From my vantage point I saw over 30 rescue groups passing information and spreading good will.  I saw many, many products and services useful for all pet owners  It seemed a good time was had by all.  Mark your calendars for next year.  I know I will.

Next weekend – Boxer Bash!

Lola The Himalayan Cat (Click to enlarge)

Look at her.  Can’t you hear her telling you her desires?  Perched upon the apple crate for a better view of the studio, she’s making her demands.  In reality, Lola was one of the easiest cats ever to photograph.  She arrived with her Greyhound house mate and milled about until it was her turn.

If you don’t get a cat this easy to photograph, notice Tags in the right sidebar.  Look for Cat and select it.  Those will be the posts with our tried and true cat photography methods.  I’d love to see a photo of your cat.  Post one here.

Time to play Where In The World Is Sisters Pet Pics.  Check last week’s posts to get caught up on the clues.  Today’s hint:  Don’t expect the sign to tell you where we are yet.  There you go.  Come on, people.  You have through October 1st to play.  I’ll be making the announcement on the 2nd.

Sugar The Yorkshire Terrier (Click to enlarge)

It may be autumn but in southern Louisiana it’s difficult to tell.  Sugar is a testament to our warm weather in her lovely summery dress – worn especially for her portrait.  We love these little dogs who pretty much watched the crazy photog go through her paces and reacted with bright eyes, perked ears and tight mouth.  These are my favorite shots and they’ll look good on every dog.  That is not to say that other expressions aren’t adorable and perhaps even preferable in some situations, but this is still my favorite.

Sometimes your antics can interest your subject so much that you needn’t do much more than reach into your trick bag for toys and pull one out, for your subject to look at what you’re doing.  As long as her mom or dad is nearby, she’s just interested and feels quite safe.  That’s when you can get her to look in all directions by moving the toy around.

It’s certainly not too late to play Where In The World Is Sisters Pet Pics.  Read the last few day’s posts to get clues to where our new studio will be.  Guess.  If you’re correct you will receive 10% off your next order.  Today’s hint:  On the way you can get in the swim.  Come on, guess.  Don’t be shy — there’s no penalty for guessing wrong.  Guess as many times as you’d like.  There can be multiple winners!  I’ve practically told you where we are .

Ava & Bella The Poodle Puppies (Click to enlarge)

Can’t we all just get along?  Come on, that’s funny …

These two darlings just couldn’t have shown more contrast.  One so very white I worried about blowing out her coat and one so dark I worried about lighting her coat.  This is what to try.  Put your dark coated subject on the key light side, in this case, to camera right.  The lighter subject should go on the hair light side.  You could even adjust the power on the light closest to the lighter subject, but don’t do anything to the key light.  I know, I know, they may not stay there, but that’s where you want to start.  If they hop around to the opposite sides, keep your lights where they are and adjust your camera settings to light the dark coat.  Try to find some acceptable balance.  You may have to fix the light one in post processing, so be sure you are shooting in raw mode.

I’ve always loved this image as they looked at me making all my crazy noises and tilted their heads toward one another.  Classically cute.  That’s not the photographer’s skill — that’s just me being lucky to have such great subjects.

Hannah & Heidi the Schnauzers (Click to enlarge)

Today the topic is photographing eyes.  If you are trying to get a nice photograph of a shaggy-around-the-eyes dog, you want to make some preparation.  Unless my subject is an Old English Sheepdog, whose eyes are supposed to be hidden, I try to make a point of having the human companion do a trim around the eyes before the portrait session.  If you couldn’t see the bright eyes of Hannah and Heidi, it would have detracted from a very sweet portrait, don’t you think?

There is still a danger of having the brow shade the eyes.  I usually have the assistants brush the hair back from the eyes just before I release the shutter.  If it’s still shading, I might use my toy hand a little higher or lower to get a better look at the eyes.  To me it’s okay if a few strands partially obstruct, as long as you can see most of the eye and, of course, the catch lights.  What do you think?

Fritz The Blue Miniature Dachshund (Click to enlarge)

You see what I mean about posing to accent a certain quality?  Yes, you would have seen Fritz’s entire length had I posed him broadside to the camera, but this gentles a more contrived angle, in my opinion.  Yet we see his length in spades.  I’ve always loved this portrait.  Even his tiny tongue is somewhat appealing.  I love the perked ears, just as an alert Dachshund should be.

Take note that my posts don’t always list a how-to guide, but each is meant to inspire you to better your pet photography.  Though this image is of a Dachshund accenting his best qualities, consider your pet.  German Shepherd?  Must have an alert look complete with erect ears.  Golden Retriever?  Try a thin depth of field to soften the coat in a cloud with only the eyes in focus.  How ’bout one of the moppy, floppy-coated fellas — a Benji type dog?  I’d like to see that one done with sufficient DOF to accentuate each tack-sharp, spikey hair.

I realize most of my readers are not working with studio lights.  No worries.  The same attributes I’m trying to highlight in the studio can be accomplished with ambient light in your own backyard.  Be inspired.  Post your inspirations here, as we’d love to see them.

Eli The Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie) (Click to enlarge)

Studio Set-Up (Click to enlarge)

The following excerpt is taken from a talk I gave about pet photography, for those who have asked me about my set-up. Refer to the diagram at the right for further explanation.  No secrets here .

I only use the two backdrop lights for shooting on white to avoid shadows and greying. Otherwise I push them to the side to allow for more room for animals and people to move about. I really don’t worry much about the equipment. Perhaps I should, but I’ve found that as long as my stands are spread wide at the base they have never tipped over, even with the wildest of the largest breeds. I do worry for the people, though. I warn everyone to be cognizant of the equipment for their own safety. I also make a crack about OSHA and my wish that they don’t report me. Shhhh. The only one who has tripped over the equipment is me, and the only thing I hurt was my pride. I do watch my camera pretty keenly. Although the tripod is set very low, about 2.5 feet, with a low center of gravity and wide base I have worried about the head tipping over and crashing the lens against the tripod so I often remove it.

I use a grid over the hair light which I find indispensable to light hair. For dogs and cats it’s all about hair. I use Alien Bees equipment. But it’s not about the brand to me. Any brand will do. My key light is an AB 1600 with a 47 inch Octobox. Diffusion is the word. We may lament under or over exposure but no one, to my knowledge has ever said the words, “Oh, there is just too much diffusion.” But hey, I am still learning every day. Perhaps tomorrow someone will say those words to me.

My primary camera setup is a NIKKOR 17-55mm lens on a Nikon D200 body. I’m not an equipment geek and don’t know a lot about other gear. Although I’d love to add a D3, it’s not much about the gear. It’s more about settings and placement.

You’ll notice to the left of my camera within arm’s reach is a small basket with my noises. This is your bread and butter. Each toy has a different squeaker in it. Some “Moo”, some “Boing”, some “Tweet” and many “Squeek” at different pitches. When I go into a store I’m always mindful of noises and if I see a toy I always check the sound it makes. It really doesn’t have to be dog-safe because I don’t let them play with the fragile ones. I spend a lot of time researching toy sounds and add new ones all the time. As I grab a toy and squeak behind my back I watch for expression and get the shot. Dogs are not stupid; once they realize what it is, they’re on to looking at something else. I may move the toy from behind my back to just above the lens and squeak again. I’ll try this with all toys in my arsenal. As they become accustomed to each sound I move on. I keep a whistle on a lanyard around my neck. This is what I may use with a hearing challenged dog, or if I really need a snap of attention. I’ll warn the room “Big noise coming”, then blow the whistle. It can be startling, but it can provide the just right trick to get that intense expression.

Cat and kitten noises are great for both species. I’ve been working on mine for years. The toys double as focus objects. If the subject is no longer looking at the noise, I have to move the noise. That’s when I begin to throw things. If I want them to look directly at me I’ll throw the toy up just above and to the left of the camera. They will look up and follow it as it falls. Just as the toy passes to the left of the lens I shoot. The image will appear to have a dog in it who is intently looking directly into the lens. How do I do that, you ask? How can I possibly throw the item exactly where I want? Well, I’m a photographer, not a ball player, and I miss all the time. However, even if they are *not* looking directly into the lens, sometimes the wistful expression of looking off to the side is a really nice touch.

In the diagram you’ll notice the optional assistant standing behind the camera. Sometimes I have the luxury of more people. I’ll use the extra one behind me to help focus the dog. I remind the person behind me to watch for flying toys.

That’s it.  Questions?

Rhome The Chihuahua Mix (Click to enlarge)

Come on, admit it.  Sisters Pet Pics gets the prize for the most adorable creatures in our studio.  This little girl almost breaks the cute mold, doesn’t she?  Rhome has found herself in a home with other Chihuahua mixes and a woman who understands them.

Chihuahuas, for those of you who don’t know any, will break your heart with their love, but in the flit of an eye-blink can defend the home fires.  I’ve spoken often of Frida, the Chi that I live with and love.  She doesn’t have the full-toothed smile that Rhome has, as she’s missing most of her teeth, but that doesn’t stop her from defending our home from a repair person who dares to cross our threshold.  Diving at his or her pant leg is something that I have to protect them from, or I may not get our A/C fixed.

Rhome was not of Frida’s line, though, as she was just as sweet to us as she looks.  Do you have a Chihuahua that you have pictures of?  Post them here for discussion or just for fun.

Madison The Toy Poodle (Click to enlarge)

This is Madison.  Some people think Poodles are more like humans than other breeds of dogs.  I’ve never lived with one…I couldn’t say.  But they do look at you like they know what you’re saying.  The control group at my house look at me like they don’t care what I’m saying.  Got some petting, tickling, rubbing or food?  Well then, they say, “I’m yours”.

The prop used in this photo had never been used before and hasn’t been used since.  It seems to work so well here though.  I might have liked this shot better without the red shirt.  Just a white dog on a white pillow.  Perhaps a white backdrop too.  Yesterday the discussion was about low key photography.  No, this isn’t high key photography, but with the white backdrop we could have slightly over exposed and had a high key shot.  The black points on this little dog would pop.

In this blog, I post photographs to inspire you.  I believe a good pet photographer looks at other work and is inspired by it.  I don’t think the way I did it is the only way –  it’s just a way.  Try different things, and post your results or question here.  We’d love to see them and hear from you.

Frida Kahlo The Chihuahua Kisses The Sky (Click to enlarge)

You’ve met our Frida before.  Befitting of her stature, hers was the first photo posted on this blog, Let’s Talk About Frida Kahlo.  Although she’s kind of new to us – we adopted her about 2½ years ago – this week was the first presentation of her senior-ness.  We knew she had a little age on her when she came into our lives at 8 or 9 years old, but she’s always acted so puppy-like, my fear of saying good-bye to another love of my life did not surface…until now.

Frida might be 10 or 11…or even 12.  She has the personality and demeanor of a puppy and we encourage that, but…did you see that?  Was that a limp?  No.  Can’t be.  She’s our silly little girl, but then it happened again.  Finally after watching her so closely for two days that she told me in no uncertain terms to, “Step awaaaaay from my behind.  Really, I’m not kidding QUIT IT!”  I was too worried to listen.

I’ve never heard of a Chihuahua having arthritis.  Alas, Frida is now on pain meds and glucosamine.  The good news is, she’s less than 5 pounds so I can carry her.  The bad news is, she doesn’t like to be carried…she’s not your average Chihuahua.  The vet tells us that she shouldn’t jump around anymore.  Huh?  Frida thinks she runs the world, not just our home.  How do I keep her from jumping when she wants to?

In this funny image of Frida, that ever-present tongue (hangs out because she doesn’t have many teeth), is expressing its desire to lick the doggles off her face.  At first I didn’t like the image, but it’s so Frida.  Sometimes in the dark I can see her almost-irridescent tongue going a mile a minute.  It lets me know that all is well.  I don’t know what I’ll do when it stops.