A portrait photo of our pet German Shepherd.
A portrait photo of our pet German Shepherd.
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FastHandPhoto
July 20, 2022
May I ask your dogs age? And how was he trained? I’d like to chat via DM if you have the tim?
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the family room of our home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.Time
This was taken late in the evening so that I could minimize the ambient light and rely on the single flash and a reflector.Lighting
For the lighting, I used a Godox AD 200 light with a MagMod Mag Sphere attached as the main light. The light was off-camera over to the left side and above, angled at about 45 degrees. I also used a silver reflector on the other side to help fill in the shadows.Equipment
I used a Nikon D85 camera and Nikkor 24-120 f/4 lens. The flash used was a Godox AD 200 that was off camera. I did not use a tripod for this photo.Inspiration
I had been wanting to capture a portrait photo of our pet German Shepherd for quite some time. For this particular photo, he became focused on a noise that he heard outside. His curiosity is shown by the strong stare of the eyes as well as the raised ears. The use of off camera flash and the reflector helped to provide the light and shadow effects that I was attempting to capture.Editing
I used Adobe Lightroom to make minor adjustments to highlights and shadows. I then used Adobe Photoshop to help darken the background and remove the small amount of ambient light that had slipped through. I also used Topaz Sharpen as the final step to help with the details.In my camera bag
I usually carry my Nikon D850 and now also bring along my new Nikon Z7 II mirrorless camera. The lenses I use are Nikkor, Tamron and Sigma. I use two Godox AD 200 lights and various modifiers including a MagMod Mag Sphere and several soft boxes. The tripod I use is from Really Right Stuff.Feedback
I recommend experimenting with various lighting setups and would highly encourage the use of off camera flash. If the objective is to try to capture a dog's expression, try using a squeak toy or a treat so that the dog shows some interest.