Are we done yet?
Feb, 2016Views
98
Likes
Awards
Fall Award 2020
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Love it
Peer Award
All Star
Top Ranks
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in my home office while living in North Dakota. It was so cold outside that winter, with constant snow on the ground and brutally cold high speed winds so I couldn't go outside to shoot much that year. I was searching for ways to not only practice my skills but just to keep the creative juices flowing so I decided to make a small corner studio in my office. With the snow reflecting in, the natural light was super amazing in there during the day. It was the perfect spot to test things out. So, I went out to Lowes, bought some big wide pieces of lumber, painted them white and put a small piece of faux fur (that I had from some previous newborn sessions) onto the ground and grabbed the only subject I had, my Shetland Sheepdog Lily. Her and my other dogs ended up being the subjects for most of these practice shots but it's honestly what made me realize how much I love doing pet photography.Time
This was probably at about 1pm. The light was pretty amazing from late morning to late afternoon in North Dakota since there was always so much snow outside. It really acted as a huge reflector into this room since it was positioned right at the front of the house.Lighting
This was all natural lighting through a large double window at the front of my house. When I first started using this room it was WAY too overwhelming, so I put up some sheer curtains on the window to help diffuse and soften it. I was on a pretty tight budget at the time. I had just spent a lot of money upgrading my camera and lens. This allowed me to get a more polished, studio look but really, it was the cheapest studio set up ever.Equipment
Back when I took this photo I was using my Sigma 85mm lens and Canon 6D.Inspiration
The winters in North Dakota can be super brutal. At this time I had just upgraded my camera and bought a new sigma prime lens and just couldn't wait to start practicing. I was starting to get really depressed because it was just way too cold to take people outside for portraits. I spent a lot of time on instagram during that time in my life and one of my favorite things was looking at all the dog pages. I had an idea to start a page of my own for my Shetland Sheepdog, Lily and was feeling really inspired by all the cute themed photos people were taking of their dogs and was like, "I need to do this. I can totally do this." I had a great camera, a cute dog and lots of free time so I just started experimenting from there. It really made me fall in love with pet and animal photography.Editing
Yes but nothing crazy! The lighting was already amazing and since the window was right behind me it provided really great catchlights in Lily's eyes so all I had to do in post was straighten it up, brighten it up, get rid of some of the shadows and enhance her eyes a little bit to really make them pop. I was really going for a crisp, clean, modern-minimalist look and I think that's exactly what I achieved.In my camera bag
I recently made the switch to Sony but before I did my go to lenses were my Canon 50mm 1.8, Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 and my Sigma 85mm 1.4. These are still my all time favorite portrait lenses so that is what I will most likely be investing in on the Sony side as well.Feedback
When it comes to taking portaits of pets it's all about making them comfortable. If they're uncomfortable it's going to shine through in the photo, if they're comfortable that will shine through too. It's all about being patient with them, letting them get to know their surroundings and also evoking TRUE emotion from them through the use of toys, food, etc. Very similar to child photography honestly! It's all about genuine expressions. I usually make noises that make the dog look curious or use a toy above my camera to get that really intense eye contact going. Just be creative! And also love dogs. If you don't, you probably won't get great results. I truly believe you have to love what you do to stand out. :)
