Theme 2, More Images needed

I have planned another session today with my niece and nephew and their dog Toby!

I was hoping to go to the park today as well as shooting at the dogs home but the weather is rubbish here so we will be staying indoors.  I am hoping to experiment a little more and in this session take more control of the dog in order to set up a few shots, oppose to simply following the subjects around.  Hopefully in doing this I can be a little more creative and have some variety in the final images chosen for the theme.

As always I will be shooting using RAW files and will be using small F stops (large aperture) to capture a wide depth of field.  I will be using a F/1.8 portrait lens as we will now be shooting in doors in low light conditions.  White balaance will be left on Auto and I will hopefully be able to shoot using an ISO of 100 and wont be adding any flash lighting using only the natural light provided.  I may add light using exposure compensation if required.

The equipment used on today will be as follows:

Sony A230 DSLR
50mm F/1.8 lens
tripod
bean bag
I will also be using the camera's neck strap so that I can be hands free when positioning the dog

In preparation for today I have charged my camera battery fully and have cleared two memory cards so I can shoot as many shots as possible.

In regards to Health & Safety considerations I will take great care when using the tripod to ensure nobody falls over this and my camera bag will be kept out of the way.

Yellow Mutt Pet Photography - Theme 2 research

I have been doing some more research today on pet photography ready for my next session which will be next weekend.  I have found three more people who are willing to let me photograph them next weekend and as this will probably be the last opportunity I get i want to make sure I get some great shots to finish off the theme.

Looking through the net and came accross Yellow Mutt Pet Photography, I really like the introduction of herself (below) and how she to likes to shoot her subjects.  Capturing the beauty, charm and character of the pets and prodcuing fun images is exactly what I've been trying to do during the few sessions I have had with my friends. 

"Welcome to Yellow Mutt Pet Photography. My love for photography began 20 years ago when I took my first photography class in college.  I discovered pet photography five years later after adopting my first dog from the local animal shelter.

Photography remained a hobby until I bought my first DSLR camera. After going digital, I decided to turn my passion of pet photography into a business, and Yellow Mutt Pet Photography was established. Being a business owner and doing something that brings me so much joy is a dream come true.

I specialize in on location, natural light, fine art photography of dogs and cats. My goal is to capture your pets unique character, spirit, and charm through images that are fun, creative, and beautiful.  There is no studio, no intimidating lights, umbrellas or flashes. The photo shoot will be fun and stress free for you and your pet. Choose the location (in Seattle or the surrounding areas)  a favorite park, beach, lake,  your backyard, or leave it up to the photographer.

I will do whatever it takes to get that great shot, whether it be standing waist deep in water, or lying down in a puddle of mud; which is very likely in Seattle.  I invite you to explore my galleries. My hope is that you find the photographs inspiring and beautiful. I look forward to having the opportunity to photograph your pet, and creating treasured memories that will last a lifetime.
Debra Ducotey, owner
Yellow Mutt Pet Photography"

Here are some of the images from "yellow mutt pet photography" hope you enjoy.

Theme 2 research - Some basic tips I found on net!

Photographing Your Pets

Put Them at Ease

This might seem like common sense, but what I really mean is to photograph Fluffy in a way that makes her comfortable. If she's bouncy puppy, don't keep ordering her to sit while you frame the shot. Nope, take the camera outside and get some shots of her rolling around in the grass with the kids. If Fluffy is a cat, your best chance of getting a great photo is when she's napping in the bean bag--which means you have that opportunity about 18 hours each day.

Stoop to Their Level

Animals sit and stand much lower to the ground than we do, and a good general rule of photography is to shoot from the same perspective as your subject. To really get the essence of your pet's personality, you might want to lie down on the floor.
Of course, you can also get great results from unusual perspectives, too. For example, you could try getting directly overhead and pointing the camera straight down.

Watch Your Shutter Speed

Animals tend to change their mind without much warning and dart around a lot. To be ready for that you'll want to shoot at the fastest shutter speed possible. I recommend setting your camera to Shutter Priority and dialing in the highest speed your camera can muster, or, if your camera doesn't have a shutter priority control, try its Sport or Action setting.

Don't Be a Pet Paparazzi

When it comes to photographing pets, remember that the camera flash is not your friend. Turn off the flash and use natural light whenever possible, even if it means increasing the camera's ISO setting, which controls its sensitivity to light.
Why? Two reasons, really. First, bright flashes of light tend to scare animals, and the last thing you want to do is freak out Fluffy. Second, camera flash tends to cause the red-eye effect in animals, just as it does with humans. The red-eye reduction feature built into cameras is designed for people and isn't as effective on dogs and cats. If you really do need to use a flash, consider using a snap-on diffuser or a bounce card (available at any photo shop) to reduce the light's impact.

Nicole Mlakar-Livinstone

I've been looking at the images I have taken for my second theme which doesnt have a name yet but is based around people and their pets and the idea is to capture the emotion/bond/love between them.

One thing I have noticed immediately is that on each session I have been shooting the same images,  i.e. angles, frame, face on,legs only etc,  just different people/dogs.

With this in mind I still have time to for a few more sessions and before I do them decided to do some more research into others work.

In doing so I came accross a lady called Nicole Mlakar-Livinstone and here's what I found:

About Nicole


Nicole is a lifestyle and pet photographer in Austin, Texas. Her work has been featured in Austin Monthly, Texas Highways, Haute Dog Magazine , Austin Pets Directory, Rare Magazine and in a book titled "Barbecue Road Trip" by Voyageur Press.


Nicole is an award winning photographer, who was voted Austin's "Most Awesom-ist" Pet Photographer in 2009 and 2010 by Austin Pet Directory's reader poll. She also contributes to local non-profit pet organizations and rescue groups through financial donations and donations of her time and talent. Nicole provides photographic portraits for the Central Texas SPCA adoptable pets in an effort to give every pet an even greater chance of finding their forever home. Nicole was in turn, honored by the Central Texas SPCA as their 2009 Animal Advocate of the Year.

Looking through some of Nicole's images you can see that she has shot the subjects from various angles and doesn't always show the persons face by only showing the hands, body etc. 

I really like images 1-4 and especially love the expression on the dogs face in image number 2.  I think images 8 & 9 are very sweet and do capture the bond between the pet/owner.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Great day for Theme 2

Great day for working on theme 2 so have pursuaded two of my girlfriends and there dogs to go walking around there usual spots and let me follow them with my camera.

Goint to take my tripod, 18-55mm and my zoom lens (75-300mm lens) and hopefully get some good images to use for my second theme.  I will be using Shutter priority and RAW images for todays session and checking the weather for today its going to stay dry and crisp with plenty of sun.  In regards to Health & Safety today I will simply be making sure I dont trip over a dog or trip my subjects over with my tripod. 

On a serious note though we will need to ensure the dogs are kept safe as we will be letting all three of them off their leads near a busy road and a park which is used by other dog walkers as I want to capture them playing, running etc.

As well as wearing some walking boots I will be wrapping up in a winter coat.

Need More, From OLD MOOR (images)

After looking through the images I have captured from Old Moor I have decided I will revisit the reserve one last time.  Looking at some of my images from the bird garden, although I manged to get some shots of the birds close up I was having to use an ISO of 400/800 and when looking at the quality of the images I'm just not happy with them.

I will be in Yorkshire this weekend as I have arranged to go dog walking with my partners mum and her dog for my second theme.  The weather is set to be good with some sunshine which I haven't had much off during my last few visits.  I am hoping there will be more light to work with in the bird garden and hopefully get some better shots using a lower ISO and a faster shutter speed.

I am hoping to capture some good close up images of the birds and intend to do these using the garden hide.  In this hide you are literally 1 metre away from the bird feeders, aslo around these areas are lots of ideal perching spots where the birds often sit for a moment before diving onto the feeders.  I am also hoping to capture some birds in flight to as I like movement of the birds wings whilst the body of the birds remain in focus.

As always when visiting Old Moor I will be taking my winter clothing, walking boots, camera and tripod, zoom lens, 2 memory cards, charged battery and the usual flask of tea.

Below is another example of the kind of images I don't like which I have a few of, as you can see its very dark and having used an ISO of 800 the more I crop this to get closer to the subject the quality of the image gets even worse. 

I dont think the picture has any real impact as it stands and cropping is just not possible due to the quality.  Another one for the recycle bin!!!

So, fingers crossed for Saturday!

Theme 2, Portraits, People and their Pets.

For my second theme I have chosen People and their Pets and specifically People and their Dogs.


I'd taken some photographs of my neice and nephew a few weeks back who at the time were playing with the familly dog.  One thing I noticed instantly was then when the dog was involved the whole process of taking a photograph became fun for the subjects.


Before having the dog in the shot I found that my neice and nephew were acting all shy and not wanting to smile or have their photo taken.  However, once the dog was in on the act they started to act all silly and laughing and appear to have completely forgotten that I was taking their pictures.


Having tried to photograph people in the past I found this quite a challenge.  As the subject is very aware that they are having their photograph taken I find they immediately start to pull funny faces, breathing in and pouting their lips.


With the above in mind I decided I would focus the theme on People and their dogs, I have a few friends that have dogs and would be more than happy for me to use them as subjects for my final portfolio.


I'm hoping in my final images that I will be able to capture the strong bond that my friends and family have with their pets along with the fun they have together.


I have arranged to go out walking with my partners Mum and her dog Bailey on Saturday (7th Jan) where we will go along the Penine Trail which we can get onto five minutes from where they live.  This is their usually walking place so it will be good to capture them in their usual surroundings. 

I have checked the weather (see below) which looks set to be dry with some sunshine which will be great as I intend to use a fast shutter in order to freeze the subject and avoid any blur in the movement.

Saturday 7th January 2011

9°C 48°F 4°C 39°F 21km/h 13mph West North Westerly

Humidity: 73%

Visibility: Very Good

Pressure: 1025 mb