Pet Fest 2009 Poodle (Click to enlarge)

First of all, perhaps you regular readers have noticed that I haven’t posted to the blog every day as I was.  Yes, I fully expected this to happen.  The last 100 days of every year is when this photographer stays very busy.  Portraiture is in demand.  Many more events are held during the time the weather cools.  Some call it the party season and it doesn’t let up until after the New Year.  In southern Louisiana we notice another flurry of partying around Mardi Gras, then the summer doldrums. Well, that’s a photog’s life as I know it.  So I continue to post photos to hopefully inspire your best, but I won’t be posting every day again until March or April.

Having said that, I want to talk about what I call real world shooting.  It’s the kind of photography most – not all – of you are interested in.  You know, it’s the journalistic documentation of a day.  It could be indoors or out.  Much of the time it’s an outdoor event such as the one Sisters Pet Pics attended this past weekend.  Pet Fest 2009 in Metairie, LA.  What a hoot!  It was the largest event that I tried to photograph.  Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of dogs were present.  It would be an understatement to say I was over-stimulated!

Although the day was marvelous weather-wise, it was a challenging lighting situation.  I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome from changing settings as I walked in and out of sharp shadows and blinding sun.  A lot of the time the dogs were walking by our tent half in and half out of shadows.  This is the most challenging.

If I followed my rule about getting on the animal’s level to shoot I would have been crawling in the dirt all day.  Alas, my knees wouldn’t have allowed such.  This is an example of “rules were meant to be broken”.  Some dogs were in arms and some were on the ground, but they all were moving and excited and to document their costumes and coats was difficult at best.

Here’s a plan of action.  Try to get yourself in a position where the sun is not directly behind you, but over a shoulder.  Watch your own shadow.  It is not always possible to run around a shot (you tennis players will recognize that reference ).  Try to make sure you are not blowing out the coats of light dogs.  If you have their faces in shadow and the tops of their heads in blinding sun, come as close as you can to the subjects, meter the shadowed area, shoot and hope for the best.

This is a good and worthy plan that should work if you are not trying to photograph hundreds and hundreds of dogs who are all around you as you are also trying to talk to their human companions.  I would love to see some of your photos from the day.  I know you took plenty and I’m not buying the premise that you’re intimidated.  I’ve seen some of your work offline and I’m impressed, so come on.  How did you do in that challenging lighting situation?  Talk about your experiences with shooting family get-togethers and events.  That is the reason most people own cameras and my reason for writing this blog.

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.

Oodles O' Poodles (Click to enlarge)

We’ve spoken of auto grouping methods before.  Baskets, boxes and even rolling up fabric can be used to group multiple animals in a shot.  The smaller the container, the closer you can get them.

I’ve used this basket for many puppies and kittens.  It also works for an adult smaller breed, such as the Chihuahua or Yorkie.

Everyone has these containers at home.  Even if it’s not attractive, just drape a clean cloth in and around it.  Voila! you have an auto grouper.

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.

Maxine-Dachshund, Vivienne-Poodle, Bentley-Schnauzer (Click to enlarge)

This very diverse family arrived for their close-up ready to pose, don’t you think?  Their proud dad is probably receiving cards, gifts and kisses on this day, celebrating his commitment to raising  a family…of whatever life he chooses.  Sisters Pet Pics recognizes all those men who open their hearts and resources to raising children of any species.  Just as our recognition and celebration of mothers (see Happy Mothers Day Y’all!) extended to those of any gender who step up to the responsibility of caring for another, to us Fathers Day applies to all those who may be both parents to their families.

Perhaps you are a dad who shares responsibilities for the family with another; more raised glasses for the commitment to an adult as well.  These are tough times, as we hear daily from our favorite newscasters.  Somehow it makes it doubly difficult to keep families together.  Every day we hear statistics of families breaking up and pets being left behind.  Sisters Pet Pics hopes for better times, but more than that, we hope for these times to be shared…by another.  Grab that person closest to you, pull them close, and tell them you love them…anyway.  Because happiness must be shared to be felt.  Maxine, Vivienne and Bentley know this because they share their happiness with their dad.

GiGi & Her Puppies (Click to enlarge)

Meet GiGi and her first litter of babies.  For some of us these four legged folks are our children.  Some really special grandparents realize that their only grandchildren will grow to love rubber balls in their mouths and eat from a dish on the floor.  We couldn’t love any more than we do these short four-legged people.  Don’t we love our own parents more for accepting our selection of those we wish to have in our own family by birth or choice?  Oh yes we do, because we did our best.  Some of us miss our own mothers as they may be too far for hugs and guidance, but they’re never too far for love and respect.

Some of us have different species children and some have had the trials and tenderness of raising human children as well.  Some are in the throes of this raising up of human people, and some are experiencing the challenges of watching the results of our influence, guidance and love in the human package we did our best for as they navigate this unsettling world of joy and sadness.  We can only come back to this moment of knowledge that we did our best.

So half the world is celebrated today.  We celebrate mothers because of their commitment to the responsibility of this raising up of another life regardless of where that life came from.  It’s the profound undying, unyielding, never-ending promise to do our best that we celebrate today.  So I say, any gender willing to step up to this commitment is among those I raise my glass to today…to give love…as long as you do your best.

Happy Mother’s Day world.