Would like to do indoor pet photography TMA

[abbypanda]

Hi: been taking pics for awhile and would like to make a small side biz. Nothing full time, just something I can do to make $ towards the cameras, lenses, etc I buy plus I really enjoy photography and pets.

Until now I've stuck with outdoor stuff, natural light or indoor sports where a flash is not required. So I've got some learning to do as far as lighting etc.

I really like the photos folks do with all black background and the pet there. What type of lighting and backdrop would you recommend?

Any other suggestions would be great too on anything else as far as how to get started etc. figured some cards at pet stores, groomers, etc would be good. Doubt there's a ton of people looking for pet photos but figured it would be a good start for me before starting with indoor portraits of people.

Here's my equipment do far:
7d
50d
35 mm 1.4 Rokinon
50 mm 1.4 canon
28-75 2.8 tAmron
70-200 2.8 is I canon
105 macro sigma
430 ex flash

I've really enjoyed the macro for portraits! I think I might use it!

[RPCrowe]

Originally Posted by abbypanda

I really like the photos folks do with all black background and the pet there. What type of lighting and backdrop would you recommend?
430 ex flash

The backgrounds and the lighting setup all depend on the size and coloring of the dogs that you shoot...

Black backgrounds are great for some dogs like white Maltese...



However, I would not want to shoot a black dog on a black background.

Smaller dogs like Maltese can be shot easily on a table with some black (or oher colored) velvet fabric as a background. I also occasionally use a black Vellux blanket as a background...



I use a painted canvas background for larger dogs and place them on a table with a green or black covering...



It is also efficient to shoot larger dogs outdoors making sure that you have a background which doesn't compete with the dog for attention...



I always use flash fill when I shoot dogs outdoors. That is why I demand HSS capability in any hotshoe flash I use...



My favorite dog (and people) portrait lens is the 70-200mm f/4L IS. Some photographers who are unfamiliar with this lens assume that you cannot effectively use selective DOF with an f/4 lens. That is simply no the case...

[abbypanda]

Hi RP, those are great. I actually looked at your site and I really like the maltese pics. What type of lighting is it you use. Admittedly I need to learn more about indoor studio lighting. I do have a flash, thanks for the info on the fill flash outdoors. I'll try that. I really like all of your pics. I assume you did these for different clients, how do you get clients mostly for the pets: do you have a connection like a groomer or do you shoot for a dog show or do you advertise otherwise ? I figure it's not a huge market, but might let me get some experience, plus I love working with animals.

[maidmarian4]

I'm wanting to work the same niche as well! Great thread, "abbypanda!" Superb shots, RPCrowe.

I'd also love to hear more feedback about this type of photography - anything helps! Also - do you worry about contracts or vaccines? I do pet sitting already and have a client form that includes a waiver for some legal things and also require vaccines to be UTD.

[RPCrowe]

The setup I often use for Maltese dog photography is shown in image #2 of my first post in this thread.

However, my wife is National Co-Coordinator of the Americn Maltese Association Rescue and I am often shooting rescue Maltese for posting on www.petfinder.com. I need a quicker setup for this type of shooting...







I place a piece of 4x6' fleece fabric over an armchair so that it covers the seat of the chair, the arms and the back. I have several different colors of fleece so I can use the most appropriate color for each dog.

My lighting is super simple... A single Canon 430EX flash mounted on the camera hotshoe and bounced off the ceiling. I modify the light with a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro. I shoot with a Canon 7D and a 70-200mm f/4L IS lens. I sit on a roll-around office chair so I can get my camera where I want it without stooping. My old back complains when I do a lot of bending. Exposure couldn't be simpler: ISO 160 and Programmed exposure. I shoot RAW and use a WhiBal card to get my color temperature down correctly.

My wife assists me by holding the dog still with a thin show lead which can easily be cloned out of the image. This is a very fast, yet satisfactory setup for quick portraits of single dogs.

I often take advantage of natural backgrounds when shooting outdoors...



Outdoors, shooting bigger dogs, I will depend on the dogs being trained and staying put. The most important thing is a non-intrusive background.



The narrow DOF of the 70-200mm lens helps in using selective depth of field. I also always use flash fill...



The 7D and 70-200mm f/4L IS lens is also a great combination for fast moving dogs...



Shooting from down at the dog's eye level helps...

[abbypanda]

Thanks for the additional Info RP! I really like that first pic there with the purple background. I guess I'll have to give it a go soon on my dogs

[RPCrowe]

Originally Posted by abbypanda

Hi RP, those are great. I actually looked at your site and I really like the maltese pics. What type of lighting is it you use. Admittedly I need to learn more about indoor studio lighting. I do have a flash, thanks for the info on the fill flash outdoors. I'll try that. I really like all of your pics. I assume you did these for different clients, how do you get clients mostly for the pets: do you have a connection like a groomer or do you shoot for a dog show or do you advertise otherwise ? I figure it's not a huge market, but might let me get some experience, plus I love working with animals.

Sorry, I missed the question about where I get my clients... Actually, they are not clients...

The boxers belong to my neighbor who asked me to photograph them
The Goldendoodle is my dog
The show Maltese is Joey an AKC Champion belonging to a friend
The Labrador is my daughter's dog - that was just an off the cuff shot
Some of the other dogs came through our home as rescues...

Shooting a lot of dogs helps. I have developed my style and the way I work with dogs. You need a portfolio with a lot of different dogs.

Formal portraits are nice but, often the of the cuff shots are good.

I saww my goldendoodle laying in my lawn which was covered with purple jacaranda blossoms fallen from one of my trees. I always have a camera setup and handy. I grabbed the camera and got this shot...



This shot was of a Labradoodle that we fostered. It was used by the Doodle Rescue Collective, Inc, as a label for their Malbec Wine...



My Goldendoodle and the foster Labradoodle became best of friends..



Here is a shot of my goldendoodle when I was experimenting with selective focus...



I constantly am on the lookout for props which I can use in my dog portraits such as this fall foliage display and the little rescue puppy...



I found this "cofee cup" in Michael's which is a craft store. The cup is actually a planter about twice the size of a normal cup...



I found a miniature couch on eBay...

[RPCrowe]

Sometimes simple shots are the best. I shot annie on a black background with a Christmas necklace...



My wife sat in a chair with a pece of velvet covering her hands and lap. She was holding this Maltese puppy. I placed a Christmas wreath over the puppy for a Christmas card that year...



This was our next year's Christmas card...



Here is a shot of our AKC Champion male Maltese with a Holloween Theme. I think he looks like Casper the friendly ghost.



Our friends dog became the first female Maltese to achieve this high AKC Agility status. The PVC pipe is one of the jumps signed by all the competitors...



This is a little male Maltese who was blind from birth. He was adopted into a wonderful home...

[RPCrowe]

Some dogs are cute and easy to shoot...





Some are a bit funny looking and can be a challenge...



Sometimes dogs with long noses look better when their head is upturned...



A collage is a way to show a lot of dogs in one photo...

[RPCrowe]

I keep my gear as simple as possible because I want to concentrate on the dog.

I shoot with the longest focal lengths possible because I don't like the perspectve distortion of short lenses close up.

I try to have a handler maintain control of the dog.

I shoot from the dog's eye view "most" of the time - this sometimes means getting down to their lever or getting them up to my level.

I use a white balance card but, have found that the white coat of a Maltese is a pretty good white balance target.

I like to keep a squeeker between my teeth. Biting down produces a sound at which the dogs will look. That means they are also looking at the camera.

I use both the dodge tool and the clone stamp at 50% opacity or so to clean up the dogs faces. No one likes a sained dog.

I know my equipment and I can shoot fast, often shooting fast will grab an unexpected shot...

BTW: IMO, the difficulty of shooting more than one dog in a portrait increases geometrically for each additional dog added. Some dogs are easy to shoot in pairs...

Believe it or not - the White Maltese is the Chihuahua's mother...



These two are best of friends...



Mother and daughter...



Sometimes, though shooting more than one dog is a major evolution...



The result after some work with the clone stamp tool to remove the leads...



I missed the foot of the dog at the image left. But, the expression of the pup at the image right makes up for that slight error...

[Immaculens]

this is just simply an amazing idea, that can have various applications ~ like grabbing small and medium sized dogs or cats that just don't want to be still for your shots

Thank-you so much for your time and efforts being so dog-gone helpful in this thread!

Originally Posted by RPCrowe

My wife sat in a chair with a pece of velvet covering her hands and lap. She was holding this Maltese puppy. I placed a Christmas wreath over the puppy for a Christmas card that year...