You want photos of your dog, but you're scared (s)he is not well behaved enough
I’m dog and family photographer YELLOW LAB in Auckland. I specialise in taking photographs of dogs, and dogs with their families, cause what’s a family portrait when your fur members are not in it?
People gush over my dog portraits, but the first objection is that their dog will not keep still for a photo. Or you want photos of your dog, but you're scared (s)he is not well behaved enough.
Having portraits made/ photographs taken, is not a very ‘dog’ thing to do. Your dog is in a different place with a lady with a strange device in her hand and they have no idea whats going on. We keep it fun with cuddles (if your dog likes it), play and treats.
Behind the scenes dog photos:
I know how important it is for you to have stunning portraits of your beloved dog, and I LOVE to make them. Over the many years I’ve specialised in photographing dogs and families, I have perfected the art of getting the best out of them.
Here’s how I manage to get model (dog) behaviour:
I LOVE dogs! I won’t be photographing them if I didn’t adore them. I understand them and if there’s a mess, hair or slobber, don’t be embarrassed, we simply clean it up. I have many paper towels.
There is a TON of patience.
We give them time to settle. You’re not walking in the door and expecting to sit for your photo straight away. There is no rush to get X amount of photographs in a set time to get the next set of people through the door.
It’s a morning of play for your dog. If your dog can follow the ‘sit’ command, that’s fantastic! If not, that’s totally ok too.
I get them to focus on the treat in my hand. You’ll bring their favourite high reward treats.
Once I’ve taken a photo, I’ll offer them a treat. All the dogs I photograph learn this SO quick. After a photo taken, they’ll move from their spot and insist on ‘payment’ if I’m too slow to reward them. Dogs are way smarter than we think :-)
You’ll also tell me the kind of looks you love of your dog. If you want your dog ‘smiling’ (panting), a cute head tilt, or perhaps you show/ breed your dog and prefer to have him portrayed with a closed mouth portrait. I’m making them for you and want you to love them.
Sometimes doggies get so focussed on the treats, we take it away and find another way to make the photo.
You bring their favourite toy, it won’t be in the photo, but I’ll use it to get them to look at my camera. I’ll also have squeaky toys on hand, and a squeaker that’s not in a toy that I hide in my hand.
It’s harder for me to get the humans to look at the camera than the dogs ;-) I make high pitched sounds, meows or will even give out my best bark to get them to look at me. This results in your dog looking at me and the human(s) in the photo give me genuine smiles and laughs.
My trigger finger is FAST. It happens that your dog can be so intrigued in the sound that he moves from his spot onto my lap, and then we reposition her/ him if we didn’t get the shot and get it the next shot.
Sometimes if it’s tricky, I’ll ask you to lend a hand. This could be to stand or sit next to your dog, out of the frame, or to stand right beside me to get your dog to look right into the camera. It’s different, but it’s so fun and so worth it!
We also want to get your dog WITH you (and your family!), I position you in a pose that looks good, and then I’ll encourage you to interact, hug or smile, head tilts from your dog, and that’s when the magic happens when you relax into a pose and you’re yourself.
I’ve not had a dog I couldn’t photograph, except almost one. In this case, you keep her/ him on leash to keep them in place & I’ll remove the leash in post production.
Watch this insta video here:
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAt_v3GA2Kn/
Fun behind the scenes video on Facebook:
Tap/ click on photo to go to video.
Email me [email protected] and let’s set it up. I only take on a limited number of shoots each month & would love to meet you and your furbaby.
More FAQ answered here: https://yellowlab.co.nz/blog/2019/dogphotographyaucklandhowitworks