Every time I pick up my camera I have a preconceived vision of what I want to capture. I have judged camera competitions and seen millions of images over my career. I have a photographic memory of images that I feel are appealing to me. When you have a plethora of images in your mind, it paves the way for future successes. One of the items in outdoor images that helps is knowing the weather, clouds, wind, and light changes. This makes things a bit more challenging to capture the best image possible. You can then also factor an animal that maybe doesn't listen the best.
Fox photographed at JABCECC center in Southern California
Studio portraits are completely controlled except for the subject in the frame. This makes things infinitely easier for photography. You have to learn how to shape light and what that will look like in the final image. Lighting also has a “sweet spot” where things look the best.
My girl posing for me in a misty park near San Francisco, CA.
The worst weather makes for the best photographs. This is consistent in my photography. I will always remember the session that didn’t happen, but I took dogs out that day anyway. The weather was looking terrible; nice large clouds sitting on top of Red Rock canyon. Snow/ Rain was in the forecast and the client called me and said the weather looks pretty bad out there. I want to reschedule, no problem. It’s best to not let a bad day go to waste! I grabbed a friend and we took some dogs out. It was cold and drizzling. I went into Red Rock Canyon in a different spot than I normally hit up. The snow started and the rocks had a nice wet look to them with snow falling. This was a rare day that made for a large collection of images that I still cherish to this day.
Animals are unique in that we don’t communicate with them in the same manner as humans. It’s fairly simple to tell a person turn this way, sit here, don’t pee on the bush, stop eating all the snacks. Animals are “animals” they want to enjoy their time. Dogs typically are somewhat well behaved, but often dogs haven’t been given commands in distracting environments. This can be a challenge if you don’t have ways to help communicate. One of the things that I commonly do is work on the attention of various animals. This is something that I always look for in my animal images. I typically let the animal wonder what I am doing and focus their attention on me.
BABY HORSE!
One of the best things about meeting new animals is the challenge of capturing an image that represents the animal in the best light. I have never stressed out an animal for a photograph, to me it’s not worth it. When I have met dogs numerous times they usually remember me from a fun standpoint and are excited about the session. This is the first thing that is my concern. I have photographed numerous dogs with severe aggression issues and insecurities towards new people. This makes for a challenge and a different approach. The owners are normally very upfront about their animals “quirks” or aggressions. The session that comes to mind is a lady with an aggressive dog. She called and said my dog is funny, and I said funny how? Does he tell jokes? Well, he doesn’t always like new people and can be a bit protective. She loved my photography work and wanted photos of her family members. I told her we would take precautions and make sure everyone was safe and that I didn't get injured. Well, I walked in the door and the dog was handling the situation. It wasn’t long before the dog showed me his “funny side”. He nipped me in the back of the leg. The owner was extremely nervous and I felt the dog was feeding off her energy. I asked her if I could have a moment with “Kujo”. She told me he loves to play ball and treats. I took him outside in the backyard as I questioned my life choices in being a pet photographer. I started to calm him and distract him from using the ball. He was enjoying his time with me in the backyard and understood I was a “friend” and I wouldn’t hurt him. He built trust with me and didn’t attempt to bite me for the rest of the session. To this day the lady has a beautiful image of her dog on the wall that I took. That’s something I am proud of as I know that image means the world to that family.
The most common statement about my photography is “how do you get them to stay there?” Well, patience, luck, and animal knowledge. Dogs are often on a leash which makes them easier to get into a location. Then a little photoshop action and the leash is gone and the image stands on its own.
I am always hoping to find new opportunities to learn and capture new scenes. This is typically chasing light and trying to find the light. I typically watch sunsets every day and find out what makes them pop with color.
If you have an animal that you think needs a pet portrait. Please reach out to me and I would be happy to capture their best side.
