Pet-photography is exciting in the sense that you will never really know what to expect when shooting pets. Animals do not behave like humans do and they have their own individuality and quirks so it’s never a dull moment when you are shooting them. It can also be quite challenging to capture the inherent personalities of pets especially when you are doing their portraits.
Depending on the pet owner’s preference, you can do photo shoots of their pets indoors or outdoors, in their homes or in a special place. Wherever the shoot will be, it is important the scene you pick will reflect the pet’s personality and perspective. So it would be wise to get to know the pet first before the photo shoot so that you can have an idea of its personality and to have an insight on the best location to do the photo shoot. Aside from this, you can also establish a sort of familiarity between the pet and you and having a familiar relationship with the subject can help any pet photographer a lot during the photo shoot.
When doing on-location photo shoots, there are many challenges to be hurdled in order for you to get the perfect shot and to make the photo shoot experience enjoyable for the pet, the pet owner, and you.
The Location. The choice of location is entirely up to the pet owner to decide but a pet photographer can make suggestions. A pet photographer, through extensive experience, is more likely to have worked with various kinds of pets and pet owners before and this gives them valuable insight on what may probably work best for a certain client. A pet photographer can make valuable suggestions on the best location to do the photo shoot depending on the pet’s personality. If the pet is easily terrified by noise, the best location would be somewhere quiet and the photo shoot should be done with as few people around as possible. If the pet has a sociable nature, it would be best to choose a location where they can best exhibit their sociability.
Prepping ‘Em Up. It would be wise to allow the pet acclimatize to and get familiar with the location of the photo shoot for ultimate pet photography results. You can have the pet owner allow the pet to walk or sniff around while you are setting up your equipments. Aside from allowing the pets to have a level of familiarity with the location, letting them walk or play for a while beforehand can make them work off their nervous energy. It would also be good if the pet has already been fed before the scheduled photo shoot. Just remind the pet owner not to feed the pet too much as most pets tend to get sluggish and lazy when their stomachs are very full.
Toys and Treats. You can use toys or treats to help stimulate them to pose or be lively while doing the photo shoot. Just make sure to avoid over-stimulating the pet with the toys and treats you brought as animals can be hard to handle when they are over-stimulated. Also, do not over-stimulate the pet by repeating their name or command too often or by giving too many orders, or by making loud noises.
Interaction. Shots of a pet interacting with other pets or with humans are good alternatives to the traditional posed shots. Images of pets interacting with others make for beautiful photographs. A photograph of cat nuzzling its owner or a puppy licking an ice cream held by a child at the park is something that any pet owner will treasure.
I hope you liked this,
Ray Baker
