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01/22/2008 01:39:00 AM · #1 |
My sister has asked me to come out and do a portrait session of her 'boys'. A husky, a chow, and 2 wolf hybrids. The husky, Mukwa, is getting pretty old, has some health issues, and she is afraid he won't be around much longer. :-( She's talked about it with me before, and now, with his health, we want to go and get it done quick. So anyway, I just wondered if anyone had any good tips or anything about shooting dogs like this. Things like any specific lighting angles/setups would be good. Should I just light like I normally would for people, or would more acute angles, like raking light be good to bring out fur texture? I have a 300w continuous head, and my Sunpak 383 flash with triggers set up off camera, and a decent reflector with gold, silver, white, black and translucent covers, and a silver bounce and white shoot thru umbrella. I have 2 'shop lights', but I don't think I want to get into trying to mix a bunch of different lights.
Any thing ya got for me would be appreciated. :-) |
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01/22/2008 03:04:32 AM · #2 |
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01/22/2008 03:41:27 AM · #3 |
With Bailey I try and get some backlight to bring out the texture in her fur. I cheat and use a window at work as I don't have a studio or lighting setup. Treats to get his attention and make him feel comfortable/look at the camera. I'm not too sure about formal portraits, but I do know if your model is settled and there's frequent treats he'll grin and look at you, you get a chance for some good shots. Sorry I can't be more help Tater, would love to see what you come up with.
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01/22/2008 05:29:52 AM · #4 |
As far as lighting goes, you are on your own. LOL
Advice, of that I have a little:
1. Get down on the dogs level
2. Don't use flash directly in front of them (to the side is ok)
3. Watch out for black or white dogs and if you have to expose for one or the other in the same shot, expose for the white one
4. Bring a small baggie with about 2 tablespoons of all natural peanut butter (this you can thank me for later LOL)
5. Keep something in your pocket that makes a noise they are not used to hearing and only use it when you are ready for them to look at the camera (this will give you juuuuust a moment before they get up and come see what you have)
That's about it besides the obvious make friends, pet a lot, etc...
Good luck tater!!! |
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01/22/2008 06:15:43 AM · #5 |
Some good tips. Thank-you :-)
The dogs and I know each other well, and they are not pups, and overall well behaved and pretty mellow. If I can nail some good lighting, I think I can get some good stuff. I'm glad you mentioned the noise thing, I keep a rubber duck that squeeks in my bag for just such occasions, and I didn't even think of it yet! :-) |
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01/22/2008 03:19:29 PM · #6 |
...my really sarcastic and dry side wants to give you tips for "shooting" old, sick dogs...but I think that wouldn't be taken very well by some here (no matter how many "I'm just kidding smiley faces" I tack on the end. ;p
So here is a real tip. Bright settings and off camera flash. Red eye (green eye) is a real problem with dogs. So you want your setup to be a bright as possible (stops the pupil down to reduce light bouncing off the back of the eye) and off camera flash will reduce the direct light-in light-out thing that causes red eye. I have read about people using constant spotlights aimed at the person (or dog)'s head to that when they look towards the camera they can see the bright light just above it (and their pupils close up...reducing red-eye) They say if set up correctly, the light doesn't make that big of a difference in the portrait...think of it as a giant red-eye lamp that is off camera.
The last shots I did with a dog in them (a family Christmas card), I had two strobes set up about between 30-60 degrees to either side to the family (one key and one fill) and the camera was placed between the strobes (perpendicular to the lineup) and I had no issues with doggie red-eye.
Other than that, set it up like a normal portrait and pose the dogs like you would people. And read this article in this months Studio Photography.
Hope this helps!
-drew
edit: poor typing
Message edited by author 2008-01-22 15:21:12. |
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01/22/2008 04:19:27 PM · #7 |
Great stuff! Thanks :-)
Good link too. She is pretty good. |
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01/22/2008 04:21:03 PM · #8 |
I'd go with a semi automatic if you're shooting to kill, but if you want to preserve the dogs for later resale i'd just stun 'em with a tazer, and store them live.
EDIT: Oops just read the first post.
Message edited by author 2008-01-22 16:21:56. |
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01/22/2008 04:52:47 PM · #9 |
| i definitely agree with going low, shoot on floor... also makes the dogs curious about what you are doing down there and often they come to investigate. |
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01/22/2008 05:46:50 PM · #10 |
I like to close crop, but others hate it (my wife)
Your shot depends on the size of the dog?
Take the personality of the dog into account
Group shots are hard to get since they never want to sit still for very long, so lots of patience is mandatory
Here is a shot of Sam from this morning outside in the snow.
Same shot again, just cropped for a portrait
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01/22/2008 07:00:00 PM · #11 |
I've shot a lot of dogs, both formally and where we haven't been introduced... uh, informally. :D
There are a number of tricks, but much depends on the dogs themselves. Here is a short article wrote a few years ago (you can tell, it talks about film developement :D: Shooting Black Dogs
It was aimed at shooting black dogs, but some of the info still applies.
I find getting down to their level is a little harder now that I'm getting more mature in my age, so I like to bring them up to my level or at least meet them half way, if possible. That's why I use a platform a lot. I made a 3 section one that could be put together to make a large 4'x7' platform or stacked on each other to make it higher. You probably won't have time to make one for this shoot, but you might have something available like a bench, lounge chair, couch, or something they can get up on. They will be so happy they aren't being yelled at for being on the furniture that you should be able to get some good shots. Unless they are like our dogs and they are good enough to let us use it every once in awhile. :D
You really need side lighting to bring out the detail in hair or fur (some dogs have hair and some have fur), especially black dogs. I usually use 3 lights, one to camera right, one at about the camera position and one up high aiming down or bouncing off the ceiling. The one to the right I like to have up so the bottom of the softbox is even with the head and angled down a bit and at a 45 degree angle from the dogs nose. The one at the camera I have down low so the middle of the softbox is about where the eyes are. The 3rd one I have a 18" beauty dish on to really spread the light out.
If I don't use my softboxes, I like using a 60" umbrella to the right and a 30" one at the camera spot. I'll meter the two front lights pretty close to each other, giving a little more light to the one that the dog will be facing (they always seem to like facing the other one though). The back light I have under 1 stop.
Watch out for wet tounge... no, not on your lens (although I've gotten a wet nose on my lens a few times) but reflecting the flash. If the dog is warm or stressed, their tounge comes out further than when they aren't. If it's wet, it's going to be able to reflect a lot of light and you will get a bright highlight which is very hard to tone down (at least it always was for me) and look natural. Unless the collars are part of the dog (like nail spikes and leather on a big nasty looking dog would be) or it's not safe to have them off leash, take the collars off. They might not seem that obtrusive in person, but they really stand out in the pictures... paticuarlly the dog tags if you get reflections off of them. If you do need to use a leash, use a slip leash and keep it so it will be easy to remove in Photoshop.
Be sure to focus on the eyes, not the tip of the nose. I try to shoot at f13 to f16. This gives me enough depth of field that if I focus on the eyes, the nose to the back of the ears will be in focus. Plus a bit more, but that gives you a good spread.
For attention, well, that depends on the dogs. Some dogs are food motivated, some will alert on noise or movement, some have favorite toes and some it doesn't matter what you do, they don't want to be there and you can't make them do what you want, no way, no how, no sirree. LOL! We had one that when he got tired of being shot, he let me know by turning completely around and facing my background. And he wouldn't turn around until I got up and he heard the lens cap click on my lens. :D
Usually if I have a dog wrangler (my wife usually) I let her get the dog prepared by her giving the dog treats each time I flash the lights (without taking pictures or having the dog posed). Most dogs soon assoicate the flashing light with the treat and that means they are a good thing. You want to do everything you can to make the dog feel like they are having fun or enjoying the session. It goes a lot better if they do.
Although it's probably not as big a deal with older dogs or ones that already know you, but I always like to make sure the dogs have been pottied before a session. Sometimes the stress and lights and excitement and different treats, causes a dog to need to go. Unless the dogs are use to sessions like this (ours are), you should be able to get about 30 minutes of good shooting time before the dogs attention spand starts to desolve and you start just taking the same ole pose over and over. So make sure you are set up and ready before you bring the dogs into the area where you are going to shoot or before you start to pose them. And only one person should give them commands. You give that person an indication of what you want and let them place the dogs (assuming there will be someone to help you). Make sure the person doesn't stand in front of your lights. And they have to keep in mind that if they are holding treats or what ever it is that is getting the dogs attention, the dog is going to be looking at them. So have them walk around and go behind you so the dog is looking at you or in the direction you want.
Shooting dogs can be fun but it can also be frustrating when they aren't doing what you want. If it starts to get frustrating and you are getting all tensed up (and dogs know), it's time to take a break or stop and do something else with the dogs for a short time.
I hope some of this helps.
Mike
Message edited by author 2008-01-22 19:01:36.
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01/22/2008 09:48:30 PM · #12 |
Mike, Interesting post. I will take your advise and try these tips to see if I can improve my own dogs shots. Cheers, Michael
Originally posted by MikeJ:
I've shot a lot of dogs, both formally and where we haven't been introduced... uh, informally. :D
There are a number of tricks, but much depends on the dogs themselves. Here is a short article wrote a few years ago (you can tell, it talks about film development :D: Shooting Black Dogs
It was aimed at shooting black dogs, but some of the info still applies.
I find getting down to their level is a little harder now that I'm getting more mature in my age, so I like to bring them up to my level or at least meet them half way, if possible. That's why I use a platform a lot. I made a 3 section one that could be put together to make a large 4'x7' platform or stacked on each other to make it higher. You probably won't have time to make one for this shoot, but you might have something available like a bench, lounge chair, couch, or something they can get up on. They will be so happy they aren't being yelled at for being on the furniture that you should be able to get some good shots. Unless they are like our dogs and they are good enough to let us use it every once in awhile. :D
You really need side lighting to bring out the detail in hair or fur (some dogs have hair and some have fur), especially black dogs. I usually use 3 lights, one to camera right, one at about the camera position and one up high aiming down or bouncing off the ceiling. The one to the right I like to have up so the bottom of the softbox is even with the head and angled down a bit and at a 45 degree angle from the dogs nose. The one at the camera I have down low so the middle of the softbox is about where the eyes are. The 3rd one I have a 18" beauty dish on to really spread the light out.
If I don't use my softboxes, I like using a 60" umbrella to the right and a 30" one at the camera spot. I'll meter the two front lights pretty close to each other, giving a little more light to the one that the dog will be facing (they always seem to like facing the other one though). The back light I have under 1 stop.
Watch out for wet tongue... no, not on your lens (although I've gotten a wet nose on my lens a few times) but reflecting the flash. If the dog is warm or stressed, their tongue comes out further than when they aren't. If it's wet, it's going to be able to reflect a lot of light and you will get a bright highlight which is very hard to tone down (at least it always was for me) and look natural. Unless the collars are part of the dog (like nail spikes and leather on a big nasty looking dog would be) or it's not safe to have them off leash, take the collars off. They might not seem that obtrusive in person, but they really stand out in the pictures... particuarlly the dog tags if you get reflections off of them. If you do need to use a leash, use a slip leash and keep it so it will be easy to remove in Photoshop.
Be sure to focus on the eyes, not the tip of the nose. I try to shoot at f13 to f16. This gives me enough depth of field that if I focus on the eyes, the nose to the back of the ears will be in focus. Plus a bit more, but that gives you a good spread.
For attention, well, that depends on the dogs. Some dogs are food motivated, some will alert on noise or movement, some have favorite toes and some it doesn't matter what you do, they don't want to be there and you can't make them do what you want, no way, no how, no sirree. LOL! We had one that when he got tired of being shot, he let me know by turning completely around and facing my background. And he wouldn't turn around until I got up and he heard the lens cap click on my lens. :D
Usually if I have a dog wrangler (my wife usually) I let her get the dog prepared by her giving the dog treats each time I flash the lights (without taking pictures or having the dog posed). Most dogs soon associate the flashing light with the treat and that means they are a good thing. You want to do everything you can to make the dog feel like they are having fun or enjoying the session. It goes a lot better if they do.
Although it's probably not as big a deal with older dogs or ones that already know you, but I always like to make sure the dogs have been pottied before a session. Sometimes the stress and lights and excitement and different treats, causes a dog to need to go. Unless the dogs are use to sessions like this (ours are), you should be able to get about 30 minutes of good shooting time before the dogs attention span starts to dissolve and you start just taking the same ole pose over and over. So make sure you are set up and ready before you bring the dogs into the area where you are going to shoot or before you start to pose them. And only one person should give them commands. You give that person an indication of what you want and let them place the dogs (assuming there will be someone to help you). Make sure the person doesn't stand in front of your lights. And they have to keep in mind that if they are holding treats or what ever it is that is getting the dogs attention, the dog is going to be looking at them. So have them walk around and go behind you so the dog is looking at you or in the direction you want.
Shooting dogs can be fun but it can also be frustrating when they aren't doing what you want. If it starts to get frustrating and you are getting all tensed up (and dogs know), it's time to take a break or stop and do something else with the dogs for a short time.
I hope some of this helps.
Mike |
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01/23/2008 02:38:11 AM · #13 |
Great post MIke, thank-you!
Thanks everyone, you all have given me some great info. I think I better take some notes! :-)
I'm looking forward to this shoot even more now! |
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01/24/2008 12:56:02 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by MikeJ:
Shooting dogs can be fun but it can also be frustrating when they aren't doing what you want. If it starts to get frustrating and you are getting all tensed up (and dogs know), it's time to take a break or stop and do something else with the dogs for a short time.
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Isnt that the truth!!
I was in my shop last night putting some polyurethane on a raised dog dish holder I made to raffle off for a local rescue and the dogs kept wandering in. I had my bees setting there from when I got them the other day and powered em up just to make sure everything was working. Figured since all the dogs were present I would try and get a couple pics. It was real impromptu so I didnt meter the lights or the shot or spend any time on setup or post processing, these are just out of the camera with a quick crop.
**edit for spelling/grammer....dang laptop keyboards**
Message edited by author 2008-01-24 12:57:05. |
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01/24/2008 01:05:12 PM · #15 |
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01/24/2008 01:23:00 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by Kaveran:
raffle off for a local rescue and the dogs kept wandering in. |
If those are rescue dogs, I'll take the big rottie, please. Or I'll trade you for the one I have who deserves to be shot.
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01/24/2008 01:33:14 PM · #17 |
Originally posted by emorgan49:
Originally posted by Kaveran:
raffle off for a local rescue and the dogs kept wandering in. |
If those are rescue dogs, I'll take the big rottie, please. Or I'll trade you for the one I have who deserves to be shot. |
The rottie is my 4.5 year old male Magnum. The white female (her name is Ora) american pitbull terrier I fostered for 8 months before adopting her last august. And the little girl was one of 3 pups in an unwanted litter our rescue took in and we are just fostering her, she is up for adoption.
The white APBT is my future disc dogger and hopefully we can follow in the footsteps of last years Purina Incredible Dog Challenge National Disc Dog final winners Roo and Wallace. It just so happens that Roo and Wallace and I are in the same local disc dog club so I can get some pointers right from the champ.
Message edited by author 2008-01-24 13:36:30. |
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01/24/2008 01:35:08 PM · #18 |
oops, wrong darn button, please delete.
Message edited by author 2008-01-24 13:36:13. |
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01/24/2008 02:30:07 PM · #19 |
| That individual shot of Magnum is great! I like it. I think you did well at capturing his 'personality'. |
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01/24/2008 09:49:39 PM · #20 |
I think the 3 dogs together is great for the expression you caught on them. If you had only been able to set it up better, you would have had a real winner there. But their expressions are priceless. :D
Mike
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02/13/2008 01:13:27 PM · #21 |
Thanks again to everbuddy for the great advice! I did the shoot and had a lot of fun with it. It was a great challenge though (but I tend to like that). My sister and I decided we wanted the natural setting of the log cabin interior, not an artificial backdrop, and really had only one empty wall to reasonably work with, so the space was a little cramped. And her dogs are, well, they are very well behaved, but not in the 'sit, stay, etc.' sense. :-) The boys were (quite understandably) confused with what was expected of them, it was quite out of their 'norm', I didn't want them getting stressed out, so a lot of time and patience was definitely involved! I for sure liked working with these new lights!
My set up was- the sunpak set up with the silver bounce umbrella to camera right, and slightly in front of the dogs, and the continuous head through the white umb. to the left. In retrospect, I wish I would of tried adding my reflector on the left bottom, to get a little more detail on the shadow side for some of the shots. I also think I should of tried to get more space between the wall and the dogs, but with the small space, and mood of the dogs, we took what we could get. :-) Shot with the 50 1.4, mostly between 1/60th-1/100th, f6.3-fll ISO200.
I've been excited to post up results, but I entered this shot-  in the 'eyes' challenge, so I wanted to wait til after the challenge to post.
Anyways, here are some other shots from the session-
   
  
 
The rest of the shots can be seen here. |
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02/13/2008 01:19:00 PM · #22 |
Oh, one more.  This is Mukwa, and this is his 'pose' about 90% of the time. :-)
We had to work alot with treats, crumpling the treat package (sound), and having Alyson move around just off camera to get their attention, and looks, etc. |
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02/13/2008 03:08:18 PM · #23 |
I prefer to shoot them doing something in their environment, sort of like this...
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02/13/2008 03:31:24 PM · #24 |
| Cool pic man! Left a comment on it :-) |
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02/13/2008 05:58:08 PM · #25 |
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