Kia and Boomer

[rpcrowe]

No, not the car... This Kia is a six month old Shih Tsu...





Boomer is a young Yorkie male who is recovering from a broken hip that was surgically repaired...

[Shadowman]

Nice portraits.

[madcrow]

Beautiful dogs and images. To the vets, a big thanks.

[bje07]

Kia is my favorite, especially the crop one

[bnnrcn]

Both lovely

[rpcrowe]

I try to get at least three images of each dog for posting on the Internet because the rescue sites we use have spaces for three images. I will try to get at least one close-up of the face and one full body shot to let the prospective adopters know what the dog looks like. Sometimes I am able to get two face shots or two full body shots or sometimes the third shot is laying down as was the case with Boomer. It all depends on how cooperative the dog will be at the moment I am shooting.

I shoot with a Canon 5D2 and my shooting distance can be up to about twelve feet. The 70-200mm f/4L IS lens allows from a tight shot to a full body shot, depending on the distance from which I am shooting. I shoot sitting on a rolling office chair which allows me mobility at a low camera angle which is just about at the height of the dog's heads. IMO, that is important - having the eyes of the dog at camera level, especially when the dog is looking into the camera. The dog is usually posed on a chair covered by a fabric throw. The color or the fabric depends on the color of the dog and any incidental bow or jacket the dog is wearing.

NOTE: It is mostly ladies who peruse the Internet adoption sites and they love dogs in costumes or decorated with bows like in the case of Caramel and Tiny Tina...





I probably have about a dozen different colors and styles of throws for the background. I light the dogs with a softbox and use an Ott Light for a background light. I use a Canon hotshoe flash bounced off the ceiling with a Joe Demb Flash Diffuser Pro modifying that light source. No problems with the different light sources. I balance the light in ACR using the white eye dropper and a Whibal Target I include with each setup.. This is what the setup looks like...



Years ago, I used a setup that looked like this. However that setup was more complicated



That setup couldn't be arranged as fast as the one I use now. I probably shoot four or five dogs a week and sometimes more so a simple setup that can be arranged quickly is quite necessary. The exposure is usually the same for each dog (ISO 160, 1/60 second @ f/4). The present setup is just fine for the use I make of the images. However, it is also fine for larger images like the 14-inch square calendar I did this year.

Some dogs are quite bouncy and will not be still for the portrait while other dogs are very much afraid and pin their ears back. If I cannot get a good shot in the first couple of minutes of a shoot, I will take a break and try later. Quite often, the dog is not as afraid during shoot number two. For dogs that are treat or toy oriented, I always have treats and toys available...

Photos are very important in the adoption process. In the first 24 hours that Kia was posted, we had seven adoption requests. We have also had lots of action on our photos of Caramel and Tiny Tina soon after we posted them...

Boomer is not quite ready for adoption and is still undergoing rehabilitation from his surgery. He is more comfortable lying down right now so I did not force him to sit or stand for his portraits...

[madcrow]

Love your story and beautiful models.

[rpcrowe]

Love your story and beautiful models.

Maurice... How to shoot a beautiful portrait... Start with a beautiful subject