Australian Shepherd At Work (Click to enlarge)

One of the most difficult photographic skills to acquire is panning.  Panning is the act of locking on your moving subject and moving your camera with the subject.  The idea is to show the subject in tack-sharp focus and the background as a motion blur.  This is accomplished by using slow shutter speeds, like 1/60 down to 1/8…really slow.  The image at right is….not panning.

Most of the day during this February 2009 Herding Clinic training event was spent shooting dogs at high, stop-action shutter speeds.  I was most concerned about getting the dogs and the sheep they were herding, in focus. The shot in the banner at the top of this page was accomplished by panning.  It’s recommended, by Brian Peterson in his book Understanding Exposure, to use those reeeeaaally slow shutter speeds.  However, I would not have gotten the moving legs of the running dog in focus, so my shot was at 1/160 sec.  If you were shooting an automobile or motorcycle, 1/60 would probably be spot on.  Try it with your moving subjects and post your results here.

The shot at the right is one of my favorites of the day, because it epitomizes these dogs, Collies and Shepherds alike, and how they enjoy – emphasis on joy – what they do.  They were born to do it.  Of late, I’ve been engrossed with the nature of relationships we have with our companion animals.  It’s an ever-so-much-more-fulfilling relationship if we allow them to be and do what is in their nature.  For instance, keeping the herding group, Shelties, Collies, Shepherds, confined with no work to do, is abuse.  They need to work.  Their human companions must find avenues and opportunities for them to do something:  herding, obedience, rigorous play for long periods on a daily basis, anything where they can run, jump and turn and respond for a living.  A reason to live.

Most of us were raised by people who attempted to guide us toward success.  That success usually meant monetary success.  When I was very young, my parents were photographers.  They did not make much money.  They were sure I should not do that.  But working in an office behind a desk?  Yeah.  That’s the ticket!  I was milliseconds from heading toward some secretarial vocation, but it was not in my character.   Humans are not unlike animals.  Deviating from our core will cause dis-ease and shortened lives.

It is my nature to question any taint of animal oppression, and I did not see anything like that on this day in February.  I worried particularly about the sheep.  Oddly, they seemed quite at home being moved around by dogs.  Even when a dog moved them sharply, I thought I noted the give-and-take of gamesmanship occurring before my eyes.  And so it was.  A game.  For both species.  It was in their nature.

Your relationship with your companion will be ever-so-much-more-fulfilling if you both are engaging in pursuits you were born to do.  Your job is to discover them.

Dottie The Miniature Dachshund (Click to enlarge)

Meet Dottie, a sweet black and tan Miniature Dachshund.  She arrived in our studio with her red, long haired Dachshund house-sister, Scarlet.  What a photogenic pair they were.  I post Dottie today to illustrate another example of what may happen when you color outside the lines, so to speak.  When Terry and I opened Sisters Pet Pics in 2005 we looked for examples and information from other pet photographers around the world to inspire us.  The best information we received was, don’t shoot a black dog on a black ground.  We stuck to that tenet for quite a while until I saw something that inspired me.  I began shooting on a dark ground even if the animal was dark too.  I’ve posted other black animals on this blog to illustrate some interesting visuals you may achieve if you try this, see Atticus Finch, but it won’t hurt to show this example again.

Dottie is not on a black ground but the deep forest green is dark enough to provide the drama I look for.  Some may take issue with the differences in the ground cloth and the background.  I do not.  I like the textured green in the foreground fading to black.  My customer is always right, however, therefore if there is no interest in this sort of thing, I will move on to something with a higher contrast.  This technique works better with sleek black coats.  Curly coated black animals such as poodles will absorb all the light in the universe.  They will be more difficult to light in most conditions, however don’t stop trying to light them, but you may want to achieve success on a light backdrop first.

There is wonderful information about studio lighting all over the internet if you are interested in going into detail about lighting techniques.  Studio Lighting is one, but for our purposes I suggest that you begin experimenting with your lights and throw it all around your subject.  Before you invest in all kinds of studio lights, if you don’t already own them, you should probably familiarize yourself with Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure.  If you understand everything he teaches about ambient light, you can move on more easily to studio lighting.

In the mean time let’s just enjoy Dottie in her wistful pose.  As always, I welcome your comments or suggestions.  Post your own photos if you’d like.  Tell us the story of your pet(s).  Remember, to comment you must register; to receive our newsletter (and be eligible for 10% off on your next visit to Sisters Pet Pics) you must subscribe. The newsletter is delivered on Fridays.  Both these options appear in the left sidebar.

Mango The Sun Conure (Click to enlarge)

Or the Sun Conure.  Meet Mango.  A more gorgeous bird will be difficult to find.  He’s precocious and sweet, outgoing and just a little bit flaky, but always a small magnificent bundle of feathers.  He arrived at Sisters Pet Pics studio with his family in tow, mom, dad and dogs and thought the world was his.  Mango is easy to love, for his beauty and his large boisterous personality.

Photographing domestic bird pets is a balancing act.  Safety is always paramount and the photographer must take every safeguard to maintain the safety of everyone in the room.  Even if the bird’s wing feathers have been clipped, it could be very easy for an escape, so a secure space is imperative.  Other animals in the room may not act as they would at home.  I always insist upon the confinement of all but the subject to insure ultimate safety precaution.

Choosing a backdrop for a beautiful bird is important.  For birds I like a high contrast setting, but it might be very interesting to see Mango on a mottled red, orange and yellow background as well.  For me, a good bird image has to accentuate each feather.  Take a look at some bird magazines for inspiration.  Every centerfold will have a close look at tack-sharp feathers.  This is the goal.  You can see some new pin feathers on Mango that he hasn’t attended to yet.

I like this bird and I like this capture.  What do you think?  Please don’t think you don’t know enough to comment or be intimidated in any way.  To improve your photography you must be able to critique another image.  It will help you.  It’s helped me.  Also, I have yet to capture an image that cannot be improved.  Did you get that?  I have yet to capture an image that cannot be improved! So find the failings or let us know what you like about what you see.  Need some assistance with how to comment or subscribe to the newsletter?  See Hello Fellow Pet Photographers And Enthusiasts and How This Works.

Abby The Brussells Griffon (Click to enlarge)

Meet Abby, the Brussels Griffon.  I know, I know, she’s got that fly-away look, but if you’re not an AKC judge (and how many of us are one of those?), you can’t help but smile at her obvious personality.  I happen to love her look, although you won’t find her listed in the examples of what a Brussels Griffon looks like; nevertheless, she comes with the same personality package that the breed standards have.  Her natural ears and shaggy, coarse coat give her that compelling little-big dog look.  If you were looking into adding one of these folks to your family you may read that this is not the dog to get if you have children, as they are fragile and can be injured by children easily.

It may be a good time to talk about children and animals.  In the olden days, you remember, when children were meant to be seen and not heard, yeah those days; well back then pets were added to the family as a lesson for children, moms and dads got a dog to teach the children about responsibility or compassion.  Those are the days when you would hear the phrase just a dog repeated to the oft crushed human who lost a beloved pet to disease or injury.  If a child pulled a tail and received a well deserved nip you would see a serious reprimand coming from the adult to the dog (!).  I bring this up because I still see evidence of what I call species-ism.  That is, humans appear higher on the food chain so our lives must be more valuable.  I don’t see it in my studio, but I do see it in the world and it’s disturbing to those of us who have known and loved an animal and recoil at the words, she’s just a dog, after all.

The way of thinking which follows the disrespectful reference to the animal members of a family is the same state of mind which allowed animals to be left behind in so many instances when humans left the city of New Orleans during the Katrina disaster.  It’s important that we each do our part to nurture respect for animals in every corner of our lives.  Gandhi said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” We have a long way to go to become a great nation, but we can get there.

Luckily, Abby here lives with a child who is respectful of her little self, but if you are out and about and you hear the words just a dog, call the speaker on them, because we know those words do not convey anything but ignorance of respect for life, and shouldn’t be uttered any more than, she’s just a child, after all.

As always, participate in the conversation, add your 2¢, or post a photo of yours.  To comment, you must register.  Use the form in the left sidebar under the Login prompt.  While you’re at it, subscribe to the Sisters Pet Pics Blog newsletter so you can become eligible to receive big savings on your next visit to Sisters Pet Pics studio.

Murphy The Labradoodle (Click to enlarge)

How ’bout this handsome guy.  He’s everything anyone could ask for in a companion animal.  His mom and dad take him everywhere society allows, and he behaves himself in an exemplary fashion.  The reason I call this image perfect is because he has arranged himself in a perfect sit.  Notice the 45° angle to the camera.  Perfect.  Notice his left front leg.  Absolutely perfect.  One more thing we need to concern ourselves as pet photographers is male parts.  Oh yes, try as we might to ignore them, we cannot.  We have to talk about them.  You see, they can detract from a stunning portrait if the photographer does not plan the shot.  If you cannot get a shot like this, where the subject stays in that perfect sit with a front leg strategically placed, touch up may be necessary.  Obviously you will want to try this pose first.  If not possible, I often place a shadow in the area without detracting from the photograph, of course.  Painless castration.

In all areas of portrait photography, including pet photography we always want to present the subject in flattering poses and angles.  You would tell your human subject about spinach in their teeth, a missing earing, an unbuttoned blouse, too much cleavage, etc.  So too do we attend to pet body part issues.  If you do, you will end up with a ‘Perfect Murphy’ too!

Reminder:  Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to be eligible for 10% off any package on your next visit to our studio if your pet is featured.  It’s free and easy.  In the left sidebar you will notice a short form headed by the words ‘Subscribe to Sisters Pet Pics Blog’.  Yep, right there.  Enter a username and a valid email address and follow the prompts to subscribe and get confirmed.  If you need a step-by-step you can refer to the two sticky (posts that stay at the top of the page) posts, Hello Fellow Pet Photographers And Enthusiasts and How This Works.

As always, please comment on my post or image or talk about one of yours.  Exif:  1/160, f13, ISO 100.

First things first.  You must register at Sisters Pet Pics Blog in order to post or comment.  This is how you do that:  On the left side below the headings, Subscribe To Sisters Pet Pics Blog, Categories, Links, and Our Favorite Blogs , you will see Login and a short form.  Hold it, not so fast.  First select the “Register” link below the ‘Login’ button.  This will take you to an Official Wordpress screen.  Just enter a Username.  Pick something you can remember as you cannot change it.  Then a valid email address.  Your password will be mailed to you after you select the ‘Register’ button.  If you see a yellow bar at the top of the Wordpress screen everything is going as planned.  Now go directly to your email client and wait for the email message from the friendly folks at Wordpress.  There it is!  Yea.  Okay, copy the password they gave you and go back to the Wordpress screen and paste it in the ‘Password’ field.  Hit your ‘Enter’ key, and by jove you’ve done it.  If you select the ‘Remember Me’ box your username and password will load automatically when you return to visit…which we hope you do, and often!  The first time you login the front page will be your Dashboard.  Look around.  You may change your password to something meaningful in your ‘Profile’.  We can’t see your password so if you forget it you can ask for a new one which will be sent to your email address.  While you’re at it, why don’t you subscribe to our newsletter, Tips & Techniques To Better Pet Photography.  There’s a form in the left sidebar for that as well.  Hereafter when you login you will get to your Dashboard by selecting the link in the left sidebar.

Now you can post one of your photos.  Tell us about the subject and about the photography.  Don’t be intimidated, we’re very gentle here.  Next thing to do is to pick any of the free image hosting folks.  I have Photobucket, but Flickr is very popular as well.  I can’t stress enough that unless you don’t care if others download your photo for their own use you should watermark all images.  Okay, here’s how it works:

1. Select Photobucket or Flickr (those are the only ones I know about but there are more – explore if you’d prefer).
2. The instructions that follow will pertain to Photobucket which is the one I use, but other subscribers may assist with other image galleries.
3. Select the ‘Join Now’ button.  It’s free and all it requires is a username and password on the first screen.
4. The second screen requires first and last name ( I sometimes place initials in screens like this), email address (this must be valid), gender (what the…? Oh well), birthday (sheesh!) and zip code (okay, I just don’t get this).  The last is the security code.
   1. I’ve been a member for years and receive very few emails from them and you can eliminate all if you tell them in your preferences.
5. Last step of the registering process is to select the ‘I Accept’ button.  You may read about what that means by clicking the ‘Terms of Use’ link.
6. ‘Skip’ the special offers and you’re ready to upload pictures.
7. It’s very easy to upload pictures. The ‘Upload Pictures & Video’ screen has a ‘Choose Files’ button which will let you navigate to the photo of your choice.
8. There is a file size limit of 1 meg but I would pick the biggest file size Photobucket will allow.
9. Over the thumbnail you will see edit, move, share and delete links.  Select the ‘share‘ link.  Then select the ‘Get Link Code’ tab.  Make sure Clickable Thumbnail is selected, then make sure ‘Always’ is selected as well and click ‘Save’.
   1. This step only has to be done once
10. Now you are ready to share.  Drag your cursor over the image and from the flyout menu click HTML Code which will select the code.
11. Ctrl-C on a PC or Command-C on a Mac copies this code which can be pasted into the body of a post right here on Sisters Pet Pics Blog.

To comment on Sisters Pet Pics Blog select the Leave a Comment link in the grey bar at the bottom of each post or select the title link of each post which will take you to the full text of the post with a ‘Leave a Reply‘ form at the bottom of the page.  If you would like to post a photo of your own, just paste the code you’ve already copied from Photobucket into the body of the comment and it will show as a thumbnail which can be selected by any of us to see a larger image.

That’s pretty much it…so NOW you can share your pet pictures, photographs, images, captures, pics or whatever you deem your stuff to be.  If you have wildlife photos that you would like to share do that too, we don’t mind.  Heck, I always think of the birds, squirrels, raccoons and opossum in our yard as “ours”, so have at it.  We will take you as seriously as you like and will always critique with respect.  So get sharing!