03 Start a pet project

Take pictures of your favourite companion

Last issue we featured the work of German photographer Elke Vogelsang, who got some great studio images of dogs using wide-angle distortion, but you don’t need to go that far to create cool portraits of your animal companions. This time of year, dogs and cats are often out in the garden, so make the most of the clement conditions to capture them at their best. Taking outdoor portraits of larger pets, such as dogs, requires a lot of the skills used for shooting people, but there are a few special considerations.

Harsh sunshine, particularly in the middle of the day, will create lots of ugly shadows, which can make it hard to capture lots of detail in the eyes. So try shooting earlier in the morning or at dusk. Choose a time when your pet is relaxed – after a meal or a bath is a good time. The shoot is often a two-person job. To help maintain eye contact, have somebody stand close behind you and attract the pet’s attention as you shoot, or hold a reflector.

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* Try using a reflector to reduce harsh shadows in the pet’s face, but don’t dazzle it. You’ll need a large reflector, so get a helper, or buy a reflector stand with an adjustable boom arm. * Use simple off-camera flash to underexpose the background, making your pet ‘pop out.’ Be careful that you don’t overexpose the coat or fur, particularly if it’s light-coloured. * Getting down to the pet’s eye level can make for more attractive compositions, particularly with a very shallow depth of field or focal plane. * Set the AF point over the eyes. If other parts of the face, such as the ears and snout, are too soft, use a narrower aperture.