Holiday Pet Portraits
Practical and Creative Tips for Creating Memorable Photographs
PART TWO: Reap The Rewards of Preparation with Imagination
Now that you know how to properly prepare your photo session for the very best result, it's time to start setting up your shots! Here’s how to get heartwarming, imaginative images of your pet using my own as an example!
Set The Stage with Color
Lovely backgrounds can be created indoors by using bed sheets hung over the back
of a couch, and outdoors by tossing the same bed sheet over a fence, chair or table.
Be sure to spread the sheet onto the floor or ground and have your pet pose on the sheet itself. Often, a wrinkled sheet adds a sense of texture, but be sure it is evenly wrinkled and not just creased from where is had been folded. The bed sheet is something you may have to accustom your pet to, and you can do this fairly easily by feeding her on the sheet or putting a favorite toy there and letting her play with it for while before you start taking pictures.
A background should enhance the subject of a photograph, not overpower it.
Here are some basic rules of color when photographing animals.
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Black animals photograph best against beige, not white, backgrounds.
•White animals photograph best against solid-colored backgrounds that are not very dark or light, but medium in tone. Dark backgrounds will create too much
of a contrast with the animal’s white color and the image will not develop or
print well. Light backgrounds will give a washed out look to the photo. A background that is neutral in intensity, such as a soft medium brown, will work very nicely with all-white pets.
•Black & white pets photograph also best against neutral, medium-toned backgrounds.
•Solid-colored animals look beautiful against multicolored backgrounds that share the same tone value.
•Multi-colored animals look best against solid-colored backgrounds that oppose their tone. Opposing tones are those that are opposite in color or depth of the animal’s color. For instance, blue is the opposite of orange, so when photographing an animal with warm orange tones in their coat, such as an Irish Setter, you could do so against a blue backdrop, vivid blue water, a clear blue sky or even a blue door!
Color Opposites are not absolutes in photography, but can be very helpful when choosing the right background for your pet’s unique color and markings.
Color Opposites:
Red Tones and Green Tones,
Yellow/Golden Tones and Purple/Violet Tones
Orange Tones and Blue Tones
Indoor Photo Fun
When photographing indoors, use classic holiday icons such as your Christmas tree, Menorah, or pretty presents in the background. Photograph in front of the fireplace if you have one. Pop your pet in a Christmas stocking. Surround them with pinecones or Christmas balls. Always be careful your pet doesn’t chew on or eat any of your props, and always keep your pet safe.
Have as much light as possible in the room you are photographing in. If you can turn up the lights or photograph where there are a lot of windows or skylights, the added light will improve your photographs. Don’t neglect to use the flash on your camera, no matter how bright the lighting. The flash will help light up everything in photographs evenly and avoid shadows.
Outdoor Photo Adventures
If your pet can behave and safely pose outdoors, there are some wonderful places to set up unique portrait shots. Take your pet to a local general store decorated with holiday cheer and photograph him there. Pose him in front of a decorative store window or along a street lined with holiday lights. A door with a big wreath on it,
or covered with gift-wrap, is a great background. Try posing your pet on a porch, with a snowman (real or decorative), or with a pile of logs. Putting your pet on an old sled creates a fun image, as does having him pose in front of trees or bushes filled with twinkling holiday lights. Anything suggestive of the season will give a festive feel to your photos. The options are only limited to your creativity.
Remember that many malls and pet shops offer to take photographs of you and your pets with Santa. This can be a nice addition to your holiday pet pictures, or an option
if you cannot find the time to put together your own photo session. When my dog Ichabod was a puppy, we took him to the local firehouse to meet Santa. The firemen loved my pup, and, as you can see, so did Santa! The photo of Icky on Santa's lap became our holiday card that year! Never overlook an opportunity to have your own pet photographed in fun and unusual ways.
If you don’t have the time or ability to take your pet on adventures, you can always hire a professional photographer to do a session for you. Review the photos on their websites and pick a one who specializes in a style you like.
People and Pets Are Perfect Together
Get the family involved. Plan to hold a session when you can have your whole family together. Have everyone pose with your pet, as a group and in individual shots. If possible, have a friend come over and take the pictures so you can be in them too! Offer to do the same for your friend. (They do share their lives with an animal, don’t they?)
When you are out having adventures, ask people to take pictures of you and your pet together. After all, you’ll want to be included in the photographic memories of your travels, and this makes for especially heartwarming photos. Although the picture of my puppy on Santa’s lap is precious to me, I especially love the one of us together. When I left the firehouse that day, I got to sit on the fancy fire engine with my puppy and have a picture taken of the two of us. It is one of my favorite photos.
Always Have A Camera With You!
Sounds obsessive, but it’s important during the holiday season if you want great pet pictures. Here’s a perfect example.
Whenever I would leave the house and my puppy Ichabod was playing in the yard, he would come over to the fence that surrounded it to say goodbye to me. At three-months-old, he already understood that when I left home, I might not be back for a while, as I am frequently taking extended trips for photo expeditions and art shows. So, when I walked out of the yard and to my truck, ‘Icky’ would either stick his head through the fence slats to see where I was going. No yipes and barking squeals; just a sad, soulful stare as I headed out.
One day, I was packing my truck to go on a winter photo excursion and Icky was out in the yard enjoying his first experience with snow. We’d just had a wonderful winter storm and everything was covered with thick fluffy white flakes. Icky was pushing his nose in the stuff, trying to find the ground he knew must be hidden beneath. He would bulldoze through the snow, picking his head up at any distraction, more intent on seeing what was going on when he heard a noise than to be concerned about this strange cold stuff all over his face.
Each time I left the yard to put something into my truck, Icky would stop investigating this new stuff called "snow," rush over to the fence, push his head through the slats, and watch me. His cute little puppy nose was covered with snow, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. His only concern was me. As I was putting my camera in my truck,
I couldn’t resist taking a quick shot of my boy as he stared at me, wondering where I was going. I grabbed my camera and clicked, and then I went off on my adventure.
When I got home from my trip and saw the image developed, I was struck by how beautiful it was. When others saw the picture, they wanted a copy. I had not taken that shot with the intent to create a limited edition print. I had taken it purely because I saw something in Ichabod’s eyes in a moment that stirred my soul. His expression was precious; something I wanted to capture forever in a photograph. That photograph now called “Ichabod's First Snow” has become a favorite among collectors of my work. What makes this image a success is that it was not posed, planned or prepared in any way. It was a natural moment that I noticed and had my camera ready for.
You will find that many of your most cherished images come to you in just this way too, so have your camera, and your photographic eye, ready at all times.
Make FUN The Priority
Pet photography should always be a fun experience. Pets and their people look best when they are not stressed and are having a good time. Encourage everyone to be playful, upbeat and happy for the photo session. Keep your pet calm and relaxed. Try to capture that little expression that makes them unique. You know what it is. That little head turn, that cute expression, or a funny body language that always makes you smile. Let your pet and your family be themselves while you snap away with your camera. Be sure to capture candid, as well as posed shots, so you can really capture the essence of the people and pet in your pictures. When everyone is having fun and enjoying themselves, that’s when the very best photos are taken. The effect is just as pleasing when photographing everyone on a sled in the snow, or sitting before a colorful backdrop and giggling with one another. Let everybody have fun while you take pictures. Don’t worry about proper posing and positioning. You’ll be surprised at how many of your shots unexpectedly come out great.
Perfection Is Not An Option
Don’t be overly concerned about getting the perfect shot. A rule of thumb for every photographer is that you get one good image for every twenty you take, so be prepared to take plenty of pictures and expect a few good ones out of the bunch – but don’t throw out or delete the ones you aren’t so crazy about. Over time, any image of your pet improves on it’s own. Life tends to changes our situations and soon, the memories and stories that old photos convey cause simple photographs to become more valued. This is also why it is important for you ’scrapbookers’ and computer photo wizards not to be so eager to cut or crop out the other elements in your photos. You may not have wanted the cookie jar in the photo, but years from now, that jar may be something you remember fondly as being out every holiday season and filled with Granny’s delicious home-baked goodies. In the end, a photo we may not have been thrilled with becomes a family favorite, a cherished image of a pet who is very dear to us and the beloved people and things we surrounded ourselves with.
While there is never a bad time to take photographs of your pet, the holiday season is a special time of year filled with joy, color and fun. Photographing your pet during this festive time will add a richness and meaning to your photographs that you may not otherwise achieve the rest of the year, so get prepared, get creative, get your pet, and get snapping!
c) DennisGlennon.com
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Portions of this article will appear in Dennis Glennon’s upcoming e-book
