PRO COLUMN
Sonia Masarova discusses both the joys and the challenges of pet photography and working with animals
Sonia Masarova on the challenges involved in working with animal subjects
Shortly after migrating from Europe to Australia in 2008, I discovered a passion for landscape photography, falling in love with photographing the country’s beautiful coastlines. The ocean, long exposures and travel became my obsession for almost five years.
Naturally I loved sharing my images online. I was hoping they would inspire others, the same way I was inspired by others. My landscape photos were published in magazines, books, on billboards and corporate materials and many did well in competitions.
So how did I then end up as a pet photographer? As an animal lover since childhood, I always wanted to work with animals and my first thought of photographing pets for a living came in 2013. Photographing landscapes for the previous five years, I’d developed a love for creating images with natural light which transferred to outdoor pet photography perfectly.
But it was no easy transition, going from photographing static landscapes to excited pups. I learned a lot of valuable lessons very quickly. The first is that my adorable subjects almost always dictate how their photo sessions will go. I also had to learn the art of patience. It’s probably the most important skill for a pet photographer. If you don’t have it, the dog will pick up on it, the owner will feel it and so will you.
In my client sessions, I want to celebrate their dog and their relationship with them. My main objective is for everyone to have a positive experience and a nice day out whilst still getting my job done.
I’ve worked with all types of dogs, from super hyper to super shy, to dogs with separation anxiety and puppies with zero attention span. Each of these traits poses a different challenge and it’s up to me to know how to get the best out of them and capture their unique personality.
Choosing the right location is another crucial skill I had to learn over time. All my sessions are scheduled outdoors, so it is important to choose a location that will work for each individual dog. For example if they can’t be near other dogs, are too easily distracted or don’t like loud noises etc, then I’ll find a location that suits them.
Working with dogs can be a lot of fun and I absolutely love it. The icing on the cake is seeing the smile on the face and a tear in the eye of a client when they see my photos of their beloved pet for the first time.