Photographing a dog

I have the opportunity to take a picture of a friend's dog with the goal of
creating an 8x10 framed print. I'm using a Canon 350D and have a small
studio setup with a backdrop and some lights. I'm very used to taking
people pictures in the studio but was looking for any insight into
photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab). Specifically:

1) Are dogs generally spooked by flash?
2) If I have the dog pose on something, how large of a surface do I need for
her to feel comfortable (obviously my posing stool is too small)?
3) Any camera setting or filter advice for capturing the essence of dog?

Any thoughts or experience with doggie glamour photography would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
John

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:30:38 GMT, John Stewart wrote:
I have the opportunity to take a picture of a friend's dog with the goal of
creating an 8x10 framed print. I'm using a Canon 350D and have a small
studio setup with a backdrop and some lights. I'm very used to taking
people pictures in the studio but was looking for any insight into
photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab). Specifically:

1) Are dogs generally spooked by flash?

Depends on the dog. My parents' standard poodle never seemed to mind (or
even notice) flashes, but many dogs (especially small ones) are easily
startled. Your friend has probably taken snapshots of the dog; ask them
how Fido reacts to flash.

2) If I have the dog pose on something, how large of a surface do I need for
her to feel comfortable (obviously my posing stool is too small)?

If the dog is posed sitting (a good pose for a "formal" portrait),
you'll want a cushion or low platform or something that's somewhat
larger than the dog. Alternatively, just have the dog sit on the floor.

-dms

Daniel Silevitch wrote:
On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:30:38 GMT, John Stewart wrote:
I have the opportunity to take a picture of a friend's dog with the
goal of creating an 8x10 framed print. I'm using a Canon 350D and
have a small studio setup with a backdrop and some lights. I'm
very
used to taking people pictures in the studio but was looking for
any
insight into photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab).
Specifically:

1) Are dogs generally spooked by flash?

Depends on the dog. My parents' standard poodle never seemed to mind
(or even notice) flashes, but many dogs (especially small ones) are
easily startled. Your friend has probably taken snapshots of the
dog;
ask them how Fido reacts to flash.

2) If I have the dog pose on something, how large of a surface do I
need for her to feel comfortable (obviously my posing stool is too
small)?

If the dog is posed sitting (a good pose for a "formal" portrait),
you'll want a cushion or low platform or something that's somewhat
larger than the dog. Alternatively, just have the dog sit on the
floor.


Be prepared to cool the room. A dark dog can heat up pretty quickly,
and you'll end up with a lot of "pink necktie" tongue pictures.

--
Frank ess

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:30:38 GMT, "John Stewart" wrote:

I have the opportunity to take a picture of a friend's dog with the goal of
creating an 8x10 framed print. I'm using a Canon 350D and have a small
studio setup with a backdrop and some lights. I'm very used to taking
people pictures in the studio but was looking for any insight into
photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab). Specifically:

1) Are dogs generally spooked by flash?

Some are, some aren't. I have two dogs and I often babysit a third.
One of mine doesn't like the flash while the other bolts the moment I
turn on the camera. The one I babysit for loves getting her picture
taken, flash or no flash. She'll sit as long as I take pictures.

2) If I have the dog pose on something, how large of a surface do I need for
her to feel comfortable (obviously my posing stool is too small)?

Depends on the size of the dog. You mentioned chocolate lab but is it
a puppy of full-grown? I doubt you'll be able to get the dog up on
something that's too small. They have good instincts for that sort of
thing.

3) Any camera setting or filter advice for capturing the essence of dog?

Maybe a warming filter for a chocolate lab.

If the dog will put up with it, use a small fan to get an outdoorsy,
breezy feel.


Any thoughts or experience with doggie glamour photography would be
appreciated.

If the dog's female, you'll need four bikini tops. g


Gary J Sibio

http://home.earthlink.net/~garysibio

There are 10 types of people in this world -- those who understand binary numbers and those who do not.

I just started a very amateur collection of the ``everyday life'' of
my Doberman Annie, several hundred links at the bottom of ancient
homepage http://home.att.net/~rhhardin/index.html

most are Annie pics

started in July with my new Sony DSC-P93

I avoid flash completely because of eye reflections.

My former Dobie Susie was completely against cameras. She'd hold
a sit-stay where you told her but managed to express ``the hell
with this'' in every pose. I was like that too when people took
my picture.

Annie doesn't mind because I always actually play seriously at
the same time, at whatever is being photographed. I had to turn
off the self-focus beep. She doesn't mind the fake shutter click
however.

Only a couple of self-timer pics with me in them however, as a result.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

I'm trying to remember who did the chocolate lab pics. Was that Man Ray?

Anyway he lived with the dog. Sort of like my situation.

The best I remember was his lab posing formally and sneaking a peak
at a nearby tennis ball.

--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

On Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:30:38 +0000, John Stewart wrote:
...
photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab). ...

Why studio and not outdoor location shot? For a lab, I would want to
capture the dog's personality outdoors, like in a duckboat with reeds, or
on a dock on a foggy autumn morning, or caught jumping off a dock or
such on a retrieve, or with a duck in its mouth-- a much more memorable
composition, and no flash lighting to spook it.

On 18 Oct 2005 in rec.photo.digital, Ron Hardin wrote:

I'm trying to remember who did the chocolate lab pics. Was that Man
Ray?

You're maybe thinking of William Wegman's Weimaraners?

http://www.wegmanworld.com/

Sorry; it's only a placeholder and a link to a store. You'll recognize
the dogs, though.

--
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe

When I photograph dogs I often get "blue eye" instead of red eye. For this
reason, I almost never use flash, even outdoors for fill-in.

Glenn

Glenn T. Dulmage


"John Stewart" wrote in message
...

Any thoughts or experience with doggie glamour photography would be
appreciated.

Thanks,
John

I have the opportunity to take a picture of a friend's dog with the goal
of
creating an 8x10 framed print. I'm using a Canon 350D and have a small
studio setup with a backdrop and some lights. I'm very used to taking
people pictures in the studio but was looking for any insight into
photographing dogs (specifically a chocolate lab). Specifically:

1) Are dogs generally spooked by flash?

Not so much spooked, but quite a few don't really care for it.

2) If I have the dog pose on something, how large of a surface do I need
for
her to feel comfortable (obviously my posing stool is too small)?

It depends on the dog. Some are just much more given to "perching", so to
speak, others aren't. I haven't seen many labs that are very given to it,
though, so you'll probably need at least a couple of square feet.

3) Any camera setting or filter advice for capturing the essence of dog?

The "essence" of dog? Get the dog wet, and let it roll around on your
furniture, bed, and carpet. That will capture the essence. : ) On a more
serious note, head to your library and check out ISBN 0876055714, "How to
photograph dogs - a comprehensive guide", by Kerrin Winter and Dale
Churchill. You may want to ask the person what they love about the dog,
what makes the dog a part of their family, and try and capture that. For
most families, you would probably want something closer to
http://www.codon.com/tmp/bed.jpg than to http://www.codon.com/tmp/teeth.jpg
.. Alright, I'll stop with the jokes.

Any thoughts or experience with doggie glamour photography would be
appreciated.

Have them bathe the dog before bringing it over. Tell them to use a
conditioner, and to let the conditioner sit on the dog's coat for ten
minutes before rinsing it off. They'll be amazed at how good it will make
the coat look, but be ready to deal with some shine! : ) As for "green
eye", the doggie equivalent of "red eye", just follow the same procedures
you use to avoid red-eye, and you'll be fine.

steve