Santa & Allie The Shih Tzu (Click to enlarge)

Spoiler alert!  Get the kids out of the room.  That’s Terry as Santa .  This was Sisters Pet Pics’ 5th winter holiday.  We’ve offered Santa as an option before, but this year we had the three dimensional French Quarter scene as an option too.  We just thought some of those shots were just as cute as can be.

Allie is one of the sweetest Shih Tzus ever.  Sweet and inquisitive, she always brings it when she comes into our studio.  Oh yes, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen her.  Just type her name in the search feature (upper right on this page) to see other shots of her.  She loves the attention she gets when she’s dressed up, but her dad still prefers her naked self.  I’ll be posting more of Allie soon.

In my opinion, when a small dog or animal is posed with a person it’s best to get the heads close or you’ll lose the dog.  You will have to be aware that at the moment when the ears go up or the head tilts, part of the human face will be obstructed, which may impact negatively on the composition.  So set the animal up to allow for this, because when you make your noise and you get the animal look you want, you may not get another chance.

Sebastian, Mike & Leo The Shih Tzus (Click to enlarge)

These three sweeties came in with three generations of the most generous and sweet women.  No wonder these dogs were sweet.  Leo arrived first with Nana.  She seemed a little nervous about how the dogs would act.  Leo, however, did not seem nervous at all.  He got up on the table by himself, looked straight at the camera and smiled.

Mom and her adult daughter arrived next with Sebastian (on the left in the photo) and Mike the blondish Shih Tzu.  I believe the dogs own the mother and daughter, but all three women clearly love these dogs.  Sebastian, Mike and Leo were pretty self-assured and well adjusted.  Hiya, hiya, hiya to Leo and we got to work right away.

I had the leashes removed, but left collars on for the moment, just to control them on the table until the humans got the drill.  For those of you regular readers of this blog, you know I use all the humans in the room to assist.  It’s a good idea to leave the collars on until the last minute.  In the case of these three, the younger of the three women was on one side of the table, the other two were behind me, and Terry was working the hair light side, as always.

Terry was pushing from the left and the young woman on the right, photog makes a noise, dogs stop, snap to attention and pose.  It doesn’t always happen like this, but using a couple of our whistle noises was all that was needed.  I love these three dogs so much I may use this as my holiday card.  Just kidding, but it looks like trick photography, doesn’t it?  Nope, just interested and interesting dogs.  We had such a good time with these women and their dogs.  I hope you enjoy the resulting photo as well.

I know it may seem early to be thinking of such things, but if you’re thinking of booking an appointment for your holiday portraits and cards, make your appointment now, as our calendar is filling up.  It’s never too early to pick a theme and have us photograph it at Sisters Pet Pics.

Allie The Clown Shih Tzu

You’ve already seen a happier Allie in How A Costume Can Add Quality To Your Dog’s Life.  She really wasn’t as downtrodden as she appears here, but this image serves to remind everyone that Halloween may not be the fun for dogs that it is for children and some adults.

Things dogs don’t usually like:  breaking balloons and other loud noises associated with partying – and sometimes impaired – adults, costumes that hurt and children who are not respectful of their needs and limitations.  One thing dogs – and other animals – may like, but is extremely dangerous for them to ingest is candy, particularly chocolate.  Though some dogs have a higher tolerance for the stuff, please be mindful that it is listed as a poison for dogs and should not be offered to them.

Allie didn’t wear this costume other than to get her picture taken for a few minutes.  But be aware that some costumes are uncomfortable for dogs to wear for longer periods.

Halloween can be fun for all, but as always, be aware of your companions’ needs and limitations.  Have safe fun.

Bandit The Shih Tzu (Click to enlarge)

If we try just a little we can find something to celebrate every day.  It just so happened that Bandit made his one year birthday on the day of the shoot.  What a sweetie this guy was.  He came in clinging to his mom like an 18 month old human baby, with his legs wrapped around her neck and his head resting on her shoulder.  He just wasn’t sure he was going to like this photography stuff.

But once he realized it wouldn’t hurt, he was more curious than anything else.  I had his mom work the table at camera right and he was just fine with that.  Now he could relax and see what’s what.  What’s that scent in the air?  Could it be a treat?

Some props provide an easy posing solution.  This cake kind of pens him in on one side with his mom on the other.  The only other option was to relax and look at the zany photog!

Allie The Shih Tzu As A Cute Clown (Click to enlarge)

Break out the wigs and conjure your theme, because the dog partying season is near.  Perhaps some (you know who you are little sis) scoff at the idea of dogs in costumes.  Okay, I get it, but it’s not so much about the costume itself.  These silly fabric, plastic and paper get-ups serve a larger purpose.  No one uses them except for a photograph which will provide endless entertainment, much as a short movie.  The other purpose is to provide a reason to take our dogs out to be socialized.

I know that may sound odd to some, but dog-friendly locations are few and far between.  Although we love our dog folks in our homes they become cats if we never take them out the front door.  Dog socialization with others of their species, while not as important as it is for some, such as horses, is still an opportunity for them to visit with other dogs…and other people as well.

Over the years we’ve adopted many dogs who have issues that prevent me from taking them to a dog parade or any event designed for dogs and their owners.  A couple of years ago I adopted an 8 or 9 year old Chihuahua, Frida – Frida Kahlo, if you’re interested – who arrived frightened and trembly but not agressive toward anyone.  We used to bring her with us to the studio and she waited patiently in her crate until we finished with a client, then she could run about the store being her cute self.  Well, our situation changed and she could not longer really run about, so we stopped bringing her out.  What happened?  Well, she now acts pretty dang cocky…we celebrate the confidence…but…I don’t celebrate her little aggressiveness toward others.  It is my belief that if we had her socializing more this would not have happened.

Where am I going with this?  First, teach your dog some manners.  Sit, stay might be a beginning, but walking on a leash is a necessity. Then go out to meet people and other dogs.  There’s an opportunity coming right up.  Zorro’s – Cool Stuff For Pets And People.  Saturday, September 12th at 3:00PM there will be a Dog Walk along the North Shore Lake Ponchartrain Lakefront.  Meet at Zorro’s new location, 201 Carroll St, in old Mandeville, for drinks and snacks.  Want to know more?  Check out Zorro’s Cool Stuff For Pets & People.

So there you have it.  Some of these events are planned around the silly costumes.  But you can dream up an event of your own.  Go to a dog park, or the lake front, or anywhere there may be dogs and people, and have fun doing it.

Abbie The Sweet Shih Tzu (Click to enlarge)

What, you say?  How can that be?  Oddly, I say this in the studio a lot.  I’m not saying that you shouldn’t bathe and groom your dogs, cats, birds, horses.  No.  What I am saying is the camera doesn’t see dirt unless it’s large clumps of mud hanging in dreads off your long coated Sheltie.  Obviously I don’t mean for you to allow vermin to live or even visit your pet, but if you’ve just invited them from your yard, fresh from a dusty roll in the grass, complete with an untamed fly-away coat, well, I think those are some of the sweetest images.  Case in point, Abbie.

Abbie was brought in by…well, her sister, I guess.  The daughter of the human companion that Abbie lives with was having a birthday and her daughter wanted to get a surprise portrait of Abbie for her.  She didn’t have time to spend on her coat, as she needed to get her back home before her mom missed her.  So here she is in all her underbit sweetness.

We used the boa as Abbie was not sure she wanted to be photographed for her mom, so she is being anchored by an assistant under the boa.  For more about anchoring, use the handy-dandy search function on this blog in the upper right, and type ‘anchor’ to find posts with examples of how to pose your nervous or flighty subject.

Tess The Shih Tzu (Click to enlarge)

This little girl did not participate in the training class back in 2007, but did come for the graduation party and had her photo taken with all the other graduates.  Somehow I get the idea that Tess skates most of the time, but why not?  Look at her.  She did enough just to arrive and be her flamboyant self.  Though her Weimeraner house-partner, Lucy, was the real graduate, Tess stole the show. Don’t let that wagging tail fool you.  She’s all business when it comes to her family.  I think you can see that in her expression.

Working within the confines of a studio provides you with desirable and undesirable elements.  In the studio there are fewer variables to consider.  Backdrops, settings and light sources are easier to control.  This control makes it faster to use repetitive settings and techniques.  Less time; less expensive.  It’s that simple.  That’s the good.  Now for the undesirable.  Because the settings and techniques have been repeated many times, there is danger of an image becoming ho-hum.  A ho-hum image is one which doesn’t make a pet person use some exclamation to describe it.  And certainly it must inspire some heart connection to the owner.  It doesn’t have to be breathtaking (always be inspired by the possibility, however), but it does have to evoke a smile.  I am quite aware that my photographs do not inspire wows from human portrait, wildlife or landscape artists.  The best I’ll get is a “Well, yeah, if that was my dog I’d like it.”  That’s okay.  If life was a sphere and knowledge the center, we would be navigating our journey from different paths and filters but we’d all be heading the same way.  I quite understand that for some, a picture of a dog (or cat) does not move them.  That same person will be more interested in a photograph of a woman, a child or an elephant, or even an apple or a plate of spaghetti, because these are the subjects on her/his path to knowledge.  Keep striving for technical perfection and don’t be alarmed that many pros and semi-pros are not impressed.  Be critiqued by any and all who can be objective, particularly those who are not interested in your subject.  Seek true critique, not compliments.  From these critiques will come knowledge which lights your way to the center.

Too la la land for you?  Okay, back to your choices of location.  Be aware that studio equipment can run up your overhead.  This will eliminate the fun shoots, unless you are independently wealthy or are expecting to turn pro and have a full calendar in your first month.  Here’s another option: on-location.  The advantages are obvious.  No studio equipment.  Have pet, will travel.  Are you liking the freedom of that?  Most pet photographers that I know of work outside with ambient light.  Ahhh, fresh air, fauna, flora.  Also, moving targets, less manageable light and backgrounds.  Both choices are attractive, but present a different set of challenges.  Sisters Pet Pics shoots in the field on occasion, but I can provide a less expensive option to my clients by having them in my studio.

Here we are back at the ho-hum possibility.  Of course that’s not acceptable.  To keep things fresh, the photographer must engage with the subject.  Find something to love.  The coat, eyes, ears, tail, nose, mouth.  Big fluffy tail?  Show it.  Sad or deeply intuitive eyes?  Highlight them.  Perky ears with flowing feathers?  Focus on them.  You get the idea, and although your plan is to get a full body shot, you want to capture the dominant characteristic in a compelling-to-you way.  Emphasis on to-you.  What has made you smile about your subject?  Shoot with that trait as your hook.  The human loved one will get it if you provide some technical expertise in the package.  Tess had the coat going on.  A waggy tail and a shaggy coat.  That’s what I tried to help Tess showcase.  I hope I did.