LAURA’S TOP 10 ANIMAL TIPS

1 PAWS FOR THOUGHT

When a client’s pet enters Laura’s studio she always gives them five minutes to get settled. She’ll also fire the flashes a few times so the animals get used to it.

2 SCREEN CALIBRATION

To ensure the colours in Laura’s pet portraits are accurate when editing, she calibrates her computer monitor once a month with a Datacolor SpyderX Pro.

3 CLEANER BACKGROUNDS

Laura uses the black point and white point eyedroppers in Lightroom Classic CC to set the darkest or brightest point of an image. This ensures that black or white backgrounds look even, and will smooth out blotches.

4 ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Any fur, muddy paw prints or inconsistent colours in the background can be distracting, so Laura uses tools like the Clone Stamp and Spot Healing Brush in Photoshop CC to tidy these areas up for a professional finish.

5 STUDIO BACKDROPS

Laura has a mixture of different background materials, including fabric, paper and vinyl. Paper can be costly, as it often needs to be disposed of after each shoot due to wear, muddy paws and any accidents, while vinyl backgrounds can be easily cleaned and are reusable.

6 FLASH SYNC SPEEDS

The mechanical shutter needs to be used when shooting with flash, and this usually has a maximum sync speed of 1/250 sec. A faster shutter speed will produce photos where the shutter curtains haven’t fully opened, and you’ll see a dark band across your images.

7 TALK TO THE OWNERS

Get insight about the pets from their owners. If you plan on using treats, make sure you’ve checked for food allergies, and ask them whether treats or toys are best.

8 USE THE HISTOGRAM

The histogram shows the range of tones your camera has captured, from the darkest blacks on the left to the brightest whites on the right. Check this regularly to make sure you’re not burning out any bright highlights.

9 WATCH OUT FOR ‘WHALE’ EYE

When dogs are stressed you’ll often see ‘whale’ eye, where the white (sclera) part of the eye is visible. If you see this, be sure to take a break, or change things up to make sure the dog is happy and relaxed.

10 AVOID SHOWING ‘BOY PARTS’

Laura says: “I doubt any of my customers want to see their dog’s ‘boy parts’ on the wall, so always make sure they’re hidden. Change your angle so that their leg is covering this area, or put them in a different position.”