I’m asked all the time, “How do you get the dogs to sit still”? Of course, I respond that it’s a trade secret that simply can’t be revealed. If I told them, I would have to kill them. Not really. The reality is I don’t get them to sit still. Frankly, I don’t want them to sit still unless that’s what they normally do. Even in the studio, I want the dogs to be dogs, to act as they would if they were at home or the park.
I do appreciate dogs who gladly comply with the “sit” and “down” commands so we can get a few traditional portraits. However, those are NOT the images that usually excite me. I like action and interaction. To capture that takes time, patience, a little luck, and a lot of frames. It also means a lot of “out-takes” or images a client isn’t likely to want printed and hung on the wall.
Still, these out-takes are often more true to the nature of the dog(s) and are a lot of fun to view. More and more of these images are finding their way into my portfolio. So, I guess they’re not really out-takes. They’re just probably not what the client had in mind.
Just for fun, and to keep it real, I thought I’d post some images that I wouldn’t necessarily show an art director, or a portrait client for that matter. Some have technical flaws, others are just silly. With a few exceptions, these wouldn’t likely be included in the clients proof set. They are representative of the personality of the dogs and their interaction with their mom. They were great dogs, happy, playful, energetic. They just wouldn’t comply with her idea of how they should behave during a photo session. I, of course, had no preconceived ideas about how they should act on the set. I learned that lesson a long time ago.
Even when they do sit still, there’s no guarantee you’ll get “The Shot”. I love the shots between the shots. Here’s a series of head shots, actually the frames between the head shots where the dog isn’t giving me quite the look his mom would like. I am getting the kind of looks that I happen to like. A dog’s tongue is an amazing thing. In this series, the dog is totally out of the ideal position for the lighting set up. That’s just one additional challenge when shooting a subject that prefers not to stay in one spot.
Sometimes, the best approach is to just let the dogs do exactly what they want to do. By the middle of a photo session, they’re getting a little tired of being encouraged to act a certain way. They need some recess. They also know if they hang around the set, they’ll keep getting treats. So, I just let them play and I keep my eye in the viewfinder. When there are two dogs that like to play with each other, things can get pretty crazy. It’s times like this, I’m glad I have a decent sized backdrop on a sturdy stand. I don’t know how some pet photographers get by using a small platform and a narrow (5 ft.) backdrop. I need every inch of the 10-12 ft. wide backdrops I use. If it was practical, I’d have twice that width. If you want the dogs to behave naturally, you have to give them some room.
Once they’ve had some play time and a drink of water, they’re usually a little tired and tend to calm down. This is typically when we can shoot more relaxed photos. It’s not uncommon for a dog to lie down and fall fast asleep. I’ll post a few of the “real” photos from the session in a few days. We did manage to get quite a few photos the client will love.
by LME
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