Pet Photography: Portable Studio

[Lonewolf]

I'm a volunteer photographer at the local Humane Society. I'm currently assigned to work with the cats.

I'd like to put together a portable studio so that I can get quality photos to best represent the cats to potential adpoters.

My focus is on the best materials to be used for a backdrop and the material to be placed on the table where the cats will be displayed.

I'd prefer something that doesn't require a lot of work in regards to hair removal. Also the Humane Society requires that we spray the area where the cats walk to prevent the potential spread of disease.

At this point my idea is to use a white background. A portable white table could be used for displaying the cats and easily wiped off after each cat is photographed.

All ideas are welcome...Thanks - Wayne.

[cleverer]

What about paper?

[irispatch]

For cat shows they use white formica or a similar non porous surface. Make sure you use an approvved disinfectant for cats between each cat and clean your hands after each cat if you touch them. I know it sounds over the top but many cat diseases are very easily spread by handling and surfaces. Good lcuk photographing cats is a real challenge.

[Meanderthal]

You are doing a good thing. I like the idea of paper, if HS approves. I have seen paper table cloth that comes in 30" wide (if I recall correctly) rolls of great length. In any case, perhaps light gray would be better than white. Easier on the eyes, less "institutional". It might also serve as a gray card for correcting white balance.

With luck, the venue has a white ceiling or wall to bounce the flash. "Devil eyes" are a pain to correct in PP.

[BaliHai]

I photograph all adoptable animals for our shelter: heres what I do and since taking over the photography there has been a definite up swing in adoptions. We don't use any special set up, try to keep it simple as we may do 30 animals at a time both cats and dogs. I always have at least one helper sometimes two if the shelter can spare a girl. Main purpose of shoot is close up of head focusing on the eyes, thats what gets them adopted. Many adopters say that what got them to come into the shelter from the website "is I looked at the eyes and i had to come in".

My cameras are 5D's with a 24-105 or 135 lens and a 580exii flash bounced off the ceiling with a bounce card. Don't try to shoot in natural light you don't have the time and many times very little light as well. Bouncing off the ceiling keeps me from dealing with red eye or the green demon eyes. My assistant is the wrangler attraching the animals with a toy or just making them feel loved with petting. I make noises to get there attention and get ears to perk up this is especially necessary with dogs as a dog with ears down looks mean or scared same with the cats.

The cats are placed at slightly below eye level on top of a condo cage, the wall behind is our background and in the main cat room its a light bright green, I move around as needed to get the shot. As for cleaning if they are in the midst of an URI outbreak yes my assistant does wash her hands after each cat but since we are mostly working with well ones she doesn't except when we do quarantine or sick cat room in which case we always schedule last. I do not pet or interact with the cats or especially the dogs these animals are starved for attention and I have found myself bowled over by a very large Golden that wanted me to be their new best friend and the shelter floor is not somewhere I want to spend time on my back protecting my camera. Something to remember if you have pets at home first stop on arrival at home is the laundry, clothes go straight into the washer and shoes set outside a few days or are wiped down so you don't spread anything to your household pets. I've been doing this for almost five years now and still love it although the cruelty cases can be a bit over whelming I hope I can continue for many more years.

Any questions email me I'll be glad to help.

[BaliHai]

Hi Lonewolf,
Got your email but couldn't deliver it so I'll post it here.
Here is the link to our local Humane Society where I photograph the various animals. I never know what there will be as well as sometimes having to photograph the cruelty cases these are the hardest.

http://warrenhumanesociety.org/ADOPTIONS/petphotos.php

Nice job by Willamette Humane the focus is definitely on the animals.
Karen

[ca7696]

LONEWOLF & BALIHAI you both are doing excellent work keep shooting and hopefully your shots will get ALL the animals adopted....god bless

[teeny]

I also photography pets at the local animal shelter. Been doing it 2 yrs and I agree with the two post before mine. You can also spray the bottom of your shoes with clorox bleach. They told me that at the shelter.

But I love doing their pictures and it helps so much.

Teeny
ps You can also use vinly table covers. YOu can wipe them off quickly.

[kfyount]

LONEWOLF & BALIHAI you both are doing excellent work keep shooting and hopefully your shots will get ALL the animals adopted....god bless

I agree - this is a great cause - thanks for doing that.

Balihai: The pics on the link are really good.

[BaliHai]

Thanks all this is something I really believe in. Another way to volunteer is design cards for the shelter here are two used as Christmas cards to encourage donations at the season of giving, even in a slow economy these are bringing in donations. Think outside the box.
2009
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/WhiteLadyBug/WCHSCardFinal-1.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/WhiteLadyBug/WCHSCardBackFinal-1.jpg

2010
http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/WhiteLadyBug/Maizey-front4-1.jpg

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff260/WhiteLadyBug/Maizey-back4-1.jpg

[Crystal W Photography]

I'm a volunteer photographer at the local Humane Society. I'm currently assigned to work with the cats.

I'd like to put together a portable studio so that I can get quality photos to best represent the cats to potential adpoters.

My focus is on the best materials to be used for a backdrop and the material to be placed on the table where the cats will be displayed.

I'd prefer something that doesn't require a lot of work in regards to hair removal. Also the Humane Society requires that we spray the area where the cats walk to prevent the potential spread of disease.

At this point my idea is to use a white background. A portable white table could be used for displaying the cats and easily wiped off after each cat is photographed.

All ideas are welcome...Thanks - Wayne.

I understand you want the cats to look the best they can be in the photograph. But believe you are going through alot of trouble setting this portable studio up.
I had volunteered myself for our local SPCA. I took pictures of the dogs, cats, rabbits ..all the animals. I photograph the dogs in the meet & greet room or outside. I photographed the cats, in their cages (doors open) or with someone holding the cat. (same thing for the rabbits).
I don't know about the Humane Society you will be at, but mine does not have space to bring in a portable studio. Not only that, to go through all that trouble, the animals are in and out of the humane society faster then it's worth it. I mean it's worth taking the pictures and doing a good deed so the animals get a home. But when I was doing, the pets get adopted within a week or two. The cats sometimes longer then dogs, because there so many more cats.

If you still want a portable studio, before getting one, make sure it's ok with the Humane Society, and find a good spot to set it up.
Good Luck and Have fun. I had a blast doing it.

[Lonewolf]

I spoke with several of the volunteers in the cat department and we tossed around some ideas on how best to photograph the cats.

The number one issue is the spread of disease between the cats. I'd suggested using one of the empty cages and placing the cat to be photographed in there...and cleaning that cage afterwards...problem there is you need to wait 10 minutes for the cleaner to work.

Since we have so many cats that need to be photographed I think the fastest way to get the job done is have a volunteer remove and hold any objects which are in the cage and would make for a cluttered background...like litter boxes etc. Then take a close up head shot of the cat and then an image of the entire cat. The trick is to place the lighting (speedlight) so that you don't get a reflection on the stainless steel cage...I'll be bouncing it off the white ceiling...done properly the stainless steel becomes a neutral grey and actually makes a nice background for the portrait. It was also suggested that a volunteer simply hold the cat and then I get in close for a tightly cropped image.

So...that's the latest on my project. Your ideas are always welcome.

Thanks - Wayne.

[Crazy Dog]

I photograph the animals at the shelter I work. Right now I'm focusing mainly on the cats, rabbits and others...... I was photographing the dogs too but we now have a professional photographer who has been donating some of her time. She likes to photograph the dogs, which is fine with me as it takes two or three people to help with the dogs. I still photograph the dogs when ever we have the time and staffing. The cats, rabbits and other are pretty easy for me to do by myself. I shoot about 30 animals at one time. When photographing animals at a shelter photographer's really have very little choice of backgrounds, lighting or working with the same volunteers/handlers. We have to do the best we can under these circumstances. Setting up studio lighting is impractical in these conditions.

Here is what I do! My set up sounds a lot like BaliHai's set up. However, I shoot with a Canon 50D hand-held. I use either the 24-105L or the 50 1.8 lens and the 580exii flash bounced off the ceiling. We have two meet and greet rooms. One for the healthy cats and one for the sick/ new cats. I do all my shooting in the rooms. This way I could spend a little extra time with the cats. I usually shoot only the healthy cats. But if I have to shoot a new or sick cat I do them last and take extra care in sterilizing things. I normally have to shoot by myself, as we don't always have the staffing. I use toys and small squeakers to get the cats attention. But some cats are too scared/ shy and just like quick pets.

I place the cats just below eye level on a cat tree we have in the room or on a small portable table I use a lot. I use a white towel to put over the table. I change out the towel after every cat (however, this does create lots of laundry...... but since I'm the one washing it I don't care too much). I also spray down the table and cat tree after every cat. I use the white walls as a background that way there is little to no background clutter. I move all around to shoot the photo's. Sometimes, I do get a very scared cat which is a lot more relaxed in it's kennel. Only in this case I photograph them in their kennel with the cage door open. Cats can be changing, as they don't always do what you want them to do. LOL! You need lots of patience! Patience, patience, patience! You won't get a good picture without it.

Also, I don't like having people in the photographs. The animal should be the subject of the photo. When photographing the cats I want to capture something of the individual, something that will say to someone that this is the cat for them! I find when volunteers are holding the cats/rabbits, the photo's don't come out well and the cats don't look relaxed. Plus, disease can be spread on your cloths. I don't want to be spraying or changing my cloths after every cat.

Here are a few samples of pictures I've done:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Althea.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Bonita.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Molly.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Zac.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Rio.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Bailey.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Bullet.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Cochiti.jpg


Hope this helps! Thank you for doing this, as it makes a huge difference in adoptions! Good Luck and happy shooting!

[Crazy Dog]

I really don't like photographing the animals in their kennels but when I absolutely have to..... I try and "tidy" up the place!. I take out litter boxes, put in clean beds and towels etc. I try to do tight crops, focusing on the cats eyes/ head.

Just a few more examples: Cats in kennels....
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Leya.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Donna.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Aurara.jpg


The rabbits, ferrets, snakes, other are done the same way as the cats in the healthy cat meet and greet room. I use the table pushed up against a corner so two sides are white walls and so the animals don't go flying off the table. I use the white towel over the table.
And here are a few rabbits:
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Taz.jpg


http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Graffy.jpg


Dogs are all done outside, in natural light, up against one of two walls:
I normally don't clone out leashes.... in this one I had to, as there was a vent growing out of his head.
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/Max.jpg


This last photo is by Joyce Fay, our professional pet photographer. She only photographs the dogs. Sorry about the quality of this photo..... I pulled it off of Petfinder. She is really a great photographer! We appreciate everything she does!
http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd289/Fennellco/Shelter%20Pets/NM13718207131-1-x.jpg

Sorry about all the photo's. I just wanted to show you what can be done! I hope this is ok! :o If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Edit to add: We get so many new animals in all the time, animals get adopted quickly that sometimes it's so hard to keep up! Sometimes it feels endless but the photo's help adoptions tremendously! People always come in with the photo they printed off the internet asking about the pet! Since they come and go so quickly I don't have time to edit them much. Plus, the kennel program we use doesn't let us use high quality picture's. All my photo's are shot in M Mode with the smallest format JPEG. Very little P&P/ Just run through Lightroom 3 to crop/ re-size and lightly sharpen. The dog photo's are run though Photoshop Elements to layer photo's.

[themadman]

OMG those cats are so cute... I want them all...

[BaliHai]

Good job CrazyDog! You really catch the personality and I'm sure they are catching the eyes of adopters. Sounds like our workflow is very similar when you are dealing with shelter pets you have to work quickly and safely having so many to do at once.